


The Playboy and the Scientist

by puddleofgoo



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Sex, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-04
Updated: 2012-10-04
Packaged: 2017-11-15 14:33:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 105,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/528331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddleofgoo/pseuds/puddleofgoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Sheppard, corporate facilitator and playboy, finds himself bored with his life and looking for a challenge. Sheppard Company's Atlantis Corp., a small company that came on board as a recent acquisition fits the bill, but with a missing head scientist and whispers of corporate espionage, this might be a little more than what he anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art for the story "The Playboy and the Scientist" by puddleofgoo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/534788) by [mella68](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mella68/pseuds/mella68). 
  * Inspired by [Art: The Playboy and the Scientist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/528332) by [danceswithgary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithgary/pseuds/danceswithgary). 



> Much thanks has to go to my two betas, Spes and Fenchurch. They gave a ton of constructive criticism that made the story much better than when they started with it. If you see something wrong, it’s because I didn’t listen to them.

John Sheppard woke up and rolled over, wrinkling his nose at the two bodies still in bed next to him. Apparently, they didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to get up, take the money he left for them, and be gone before he was awake. 

Sighing to himself, he slid out of bed quietly and went looking for his clothes, finding them scattered among the pieces from the other two. The woman’s clothes were easy enough to identify, but the guy had a similar body type to John, so he actually had to look to make sure he got his own stuff. He would have liked to shower, but he wasn’t going to risk being here when they woke up. He didn’t do morning afters. 

Less than ten minutes later, he was slipping out, taking the key with him. If the maids woke them up when they came to turn over the room, it wasn’t John’s fault. They knew the rules when they let him pick them up last night. 

Check out was fast, with no questions asked—one of the benefits of being Patrick Sheppard’s son with Patrick Sheppard’s money. Unfortunately, the downside was that it meant Patrick Sheppard actually got to have a say in his life again.

But it had to be better than dealing with the crap he'd get in the military if he'd stayed. He was honestly surprised he'd made it as far as he did, resigning under duress as a Major. But he had his pension and an honorable discharge—and all the prestige that would get him. 

The slight limp in wet weather was the only lasting physical reminder he had to the FUBAR mission that had ended him up where he was. And that, his physical therapist had assured him, would eventually settle.

Sighing, John slipped into the waiting limo, heading for the airport. The two twinks from last night obviously hadn't been good enough if he still had the energy to think about this shit. His brooding was interrupted by his cellphone. "Sheppard here."

"How did the meeting go yesterday?" It was David, his brother and his father's watchdog. "I didn't hear from you afterward."

John didn't bother to fight to urge to roll his eyes. He and David had spent years at odds when he had elected to join the military instead of their father's company. Now that John was back, metaphorical tail between his legs, they were, if not great, at least on speaking terms. "They offered me everything, including sexual favors with their wives and daughters, if we close the deal with them. I forwarded the paperwork to your secretary. Not for the women. If the executives were anything to go by, they wouldn't be my type. But the company is solid, and would make a good addition to the company roster."

David snorted, holding back what John knew would have been a laugh when they were younger. He used to have the same sexual appetite John had—and still maintained. David’s wife, though, has put a squash on that. "You know you're supposed to cc me on stuff like that."

"I didn't realize you were interested in dumpy women, or that Amelia would even let you be interested in them. I'll make note of it, and make sure to pass the offers along next time."

"The paperwork, you bastard, not the….other stuff. Are you still going to Athosian Software today? We're looking at some of their products to integrate them into what Atlantis Corp. is doing."

"Too bad. The women might have been dumpy, but they were at least more interesting than the paperwork. Probably." John let himself smile a little. "And yes, I'm headed to the airport now. I'm assuming the meeting has been set up for when I arrive?"

"Yes. It's not in San Fran, but in Oakland. Try to remember that this time."

"I had a lot more fun in San Fran. The hookers in Oakland are pathetic."

"John, come on, the kids are here."

"If you have me on speaker phone, it's your own damn fault." John sighed. "But sorry. Yes, I'll make sure to go to Oakland, sit in a stuffy meeting and charm the executives into selling us their company. All before I go find whatever entertainment Oakland can provide for the evening."

There was a shuffle of sound on the phone and then Dave's voice came back on, louder and closer. He was off speakerphone. "Look, you know I don't care what you do on your off time, but can you not rub it in—or leave us with paternity suits. That's the last thing we need."

"I always use protection. You know that. I have no desire to breed. I leave that to you. And I'm not rubbing it in. But I'm sure as hell not going to pretend I'm going to go back to my hotel room alone, either. If I'm going to be Dad's go-get-em errand boy, tying up his loose ends for him, I'm sure as hell going to get good sex out of it. Copious amounts of good, filthy sex."

Dave sighed quietly. "You were the one who volunteered for the business travel."

"Well, it's better than being there where Dad can disapprove of me in person. At least on the road, he limits it to once a week or so." John shrugged, even though David couldn't see it. "But as long as I do the job, and do it to his standards, he can disapprove of me all he wants, he'll still let me do what I want. It's a truce that seems to be working for the moment at least. Until the next time he decides it's time for me to get married, probably."

"I don't think he's going down that road again."

John snorted. "You mean he doesn't want a repeat of me publicly humiliating the latest crop of brainless beauties half my age? I can't imagine why not."

"Look. I'm not calling you to argue with you about this. I just need to know that you're going to be on time for your appointment today. I'm trying to schedule another meeting for you in San Fran tomorrow."

"I know. Sorry." John ran his free hand through his hair. "I'll be there on time and I'll be wherever you need me to be tomorrow. Just forward the schedule changes to my calendar, and I'll get them."

Dave sighed again. "Look, I know this isn't what you wanted for your life, but you're making a difference for us—and it matters to us. Okay?"

"Yeah. I know." It wasn't enough, not really, but John knew he didn't have a choice anymore. The doors he had planned for himself were all closed now, and he was damn lucky he had this one left at all. "I'll get Athosian to sign. Are we still willing to back off full acquisition if they'll sell us some of the software patents?"

"Right now we're just looking at integrating some of their software into one of our ongoing projects. Let's see how it goes before we spend the money. Maybe a licensing agreement short-term."

"Sounds good. I'm at the airport now, so I'll talk to you later."

"Call me after the meeting like you're supposed to and I won't haunt you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll call." John signed off and hung up, sliding out of the limo and heading toward the plane. He nodded to the secretary that his father had assigned to him. He didn't ask where the man went after the meetings, and Kyle, the secretary, didn't ask about John's whereabouts, so they got along fine. "David might be routing us to San Fran tomorrow, so keep an eye on the scheduling."

"I thought so," Kyle nodded, gesturing for John to enter the Gulfstream first. "There was some talk last week about it."

John headed for the back, ignoring the familiar twinge pulling him toward the cockpit. His father had decided that pilots were employees, and John had to uphold the family image, and no amount of fighting about it had changed things. Not even that John had more flight hours logged in more aircraft than all of his father’s staff pilots combined.

For the sake of keeping the peace, David had begged him to just drop it already, and for now, John had conceded defeat. One of these days, he would just buy a plane for himself, although he was back at the house where it would be stored rarely these days, so he didn’t know if he’d ever even get to fly it. 

The flight itself was uneventful. John took care of the small amount of paperwork he hadn’t managed to get out of—simply by either never doing it so it got delegated, or outright refusing to do. After that, he dozed for a bit, and by the time they landed, he was ready for Athosian. They were a quirky little company, and neither his father nor David had managed to get anywhere beyond the polite misdirection their executives seemed so good at. Apparently it was John’s turn to try. 

He had two contact names: someone named Halling—who knew if that was a first or a last name—and Teyla Emmagan. Both were listed as executives, but neither had the official president and owner title. John hoped he wasn't just getting the low executive-level brush off.

Pasting on his carefree smile, John headed up the stairs, spotting the secretary at the desk. He headed over, and leaning against the desk. "Hi there. I'm here to see Mister Halling, and Miss Emmagan. I'm John Sheppard."

The woman was sickeningly sweet and upbeat. "Of course, Mister Sheppard. You're on the schedule for today. They're running a few minutes behind, so if you can take a seat, they'll be with you shortly. Can I get you something? Tea? Water?"

"Coffee if you have it." He switched to his charming smile, hoping to learn more about the company. "So how long have you worked here?"

"I have to admit that we don't serve coffee here, but we have a tea that's pretty close if you'd like that." She tilted her head and looked up at him through her lashes.

He leaned in closer, flirting a little. "I'd love to try it then."

She smiled and picked up the phone, her eyes not leaving his face. "Hi, it's Emma. Can you bring a cup of the morning mate tea to the front? I have a client here who'd like a cup."

He wondered if she was the kind of girl who tried to tie emotions to sex. If not, she could make Oakland worth it after all. "So Emma, I bet you get all kinds of interesting people passing through here. Where do you send them when they're finished with business, and are looking for a little relaxation?"

"Most of us go into the city, but we're generally pretty low-key."

"I haven't spent much time here, myself. What would you recommend?" He lowered his lashes a bit, and let a little sex ooze into his smile. Depending on how she reacted, he could usually tell whether the person he was talking to was a good target for a little nighttime fun, or was the kind of girl who would show up on his father's doorstep claiming he had proposed.

She offered a shy smile and a shrug. "It depends on what you like to do, I guess." But any further questions were cut short when another young woman walked into the lobby sporting a hot mug. She handed it carefully over to him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Teyla said she's ready. I can bring Mister Sheppard to the back."

John straightened. He could continue this later, if he decided it was worth the risk. "Thank you for the tea, and if they're ready, then so am I." He threw a wink back to Emma as he followed the new girl out of the reception area.

"Sorry about the delay, Mister Sheppard. The morning conference call went a little longer than they anticipated."

"No worries. I know how that goes." He sipped the tea, surprised to find it was actually pretty good. He made a mental note to ask again what it was before he left. "So do Miss Emmagan and Mister Halling run the company?"

"Yes, they do," she said with a nod.

Good, so at least he wasn't being shunted off to people with no decision-making powers. "I'm looking forward to meeting them."

"Good," she said with a smile as they approached what looked like an executive conference room. "Teyla's ready for you. Please let me know if you need anything else." She opened the door and ushered him inside.

He stepped inside, immediately spotting a beautiful woman standing to greet him. Nice. John slipped on his charm, and took her offered hand, bowing over it slightly instead of just shaking it. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Emmagan."

She smiled at him, open and welcoming, but quickly removed her hand. "Mister Sheppard, you've made quite a long journey to visit our company. How can I be of assistance?"

He smiled, straightening up. "This tea is amazing. If you'll tell me where I can get a supply for myself, no matter the outcome of our meeting, I'll consider this a successful trip."

"We work with a local grower," she said, not elaborating. "You still haven't said why you wished to have this meeting and your…assistant was not forthcoming on the phone."

John gave her a rueful smile. "You probably talked to my father's assistant, not mine. He can be a bit secretive. I'm here because we'd like to license some of your software patents, with the aim of eventually buying them, if we're both satisfied with the partnership down the line."

She was quiet for a moment before gesturing toward a chair. "Why don't you have a seat?"

He nodded, and slipped into the chair she had indicated. The Halling person was nowhere to be found, but John assumed he would be along eventually.

"There are many companies that produce software," she said, pinning him with her eyes. "And yet, your company continues to pursue us. Why is that?"

"You're the best."

"Flattery will not help you."

"It's not flattery." John shrugged. "Trust me, there are plenty of other companies that would be a lot less work to acquire. But they don't have the same level of quality that you do. We have some projects that require precision, and it will be faster and easier for us to start with a solid software base, rather than try to do it from scratch. If you won't sell us your company, which is the way my father usually prefers to handle things, then we want to license your patents. I think he hopes that eventually he'll wear you down to the idea of working with us, and he can buy you without your noticing."

"Our company is not for sale."

"I get that. Right now, I'm here to license software from you. The rest of the fight I'll leave for other people, at another time."

"Our company will not be for sale in the future. I do not want to mislead you, but I do not even know you. Other representatives have been here before as well. You do not know how to take 'no' for an answer."

"I'm not my father. And while I won't pretend he won't try to buy you again in the future, that isn't why I was sent here today." John leaned back in his chair, finishing the last of his tea. "I'm here to offer you money to let us use your software."

Teyla eyed him carefully, giving John the feeling that she was sizing him up—and finding him lacking. "And why should I trust you?"

He had gotten used to it, so it didn't bother him. He shrugged again. "You have absolutely no reason to, whatsoever, and nothing I say here is going to make you trust me. So really, it comes down to whether you trust the lawyers you have going over the contracts I brought for consideration, and whether they'll tell you if there's anything hinky."

"Hinky."

John raised an eyebrow. "Yes, hinky. It's a technical term."

She tilted her head down, looking at him across the conference room table. "Technical terms, I know. That is not one of them." She paused, seemingly to consider her next words. When she started again, the pace was slow and careful. "Why should I believe you when all the other men from your company talked down to me and assumed I would simply…bend to their desires?"

"Like I said, I'm well aware that nothing I actually say will change your mind." He shrugged again. "But I'm not my father, my brother, or a company man. In fact, I'm sort of the black sheep, and the accounts they've been sending me on are the ones they're pretty much sure they won't get, so they figure, why the hell not? I can't make it any worse, right?"

"Flirting with the secretary is not exactly the best first impression you could have made."

"It was something to do to pass the time, and if you'd rather I leave her alone, I will. I'm not looking for anything more than a night, anyway."

She didn't comment on his admission, but her lips pressed together in a thin tight line. "I will look over the papers you brought."

He nodded. "You have our number when you make a decision."

Teyla pressed a button on the conference room phone and started speaking once the green light lit. "Mister Sheppard is leaving. Have Jinto see him out."

John gave her a grin. "I said I wouldn't hit on your employees, and I won't. But for full disclosure, I'm an equal opportunity guy; so assigning a man to escort me out doesn't really mean much. Not that I will do anything, just trying to be honest here."

"Jinto is fifteen. I would hope you would be able to hold yourself back," she said as the door opened and a young fresh-faced boy poked his head in.

John made a face, making sure the boy couldn't see. "Ah, yes. I do have some limits. Well played." He grinned at her.

Teyla rose, holding out her hand to shake his. "Have a good day, Mister Sheppard. Enjoy your time in Oakland."

"Thank you, I will." He rose as well, and shook her hand. "I hope I'll get to talk to you again. It's been a pleasure."

She smiled, but did not return the sentiment. Apparently her parents had taught her if she had nothing nice to say, not to say anything at all. Jinto was standing quietly in the hall waiting for him, but vibrating in the excited way boys did when they got to do something they considered important.

John followed him out, smiling. He considered the meeting a success. If nothing else, it had been entertaining.

"So you work for Sheppard Industries," Jinto said quietly, looking at him with something close to awe. "What's it like to be that rich?"

John looked down at him. "To be honest, it was... constricting. I left home when I was eighteen, and only came back about a year ago. It was hard growing up with all those expectations of what I should be and do with my life. The best advice I can give you is to follow your own heart."

"But you're rich! You can do anything you want."

John snorted. "No, my father is rich, Jinto isn't it? I have my own money, and not nearly the same amount. And money doesn't buy anything of importance anyway. Especially when it means you have to give your life over to someone else's ideals."

"I don't know," he said, sounding wistful as they reached the main lobby.

Chuckling, John reached down to shake the kid's hand. "Trust me on this one. I've lived both ways, and I much prefer to have less money and more freedom. Just don't let the idea that money is the be all and end all of life drive you to do anything you don't believe in, and you'll be fine."

"I guess," he said with a sad little shrug, his eyes scooting past John to the outside door where the limo was just visible.

John sighed to himself. He knew the kid would have to learn the hard way, just like he did. But he had always been a sucker for helping people—it was that "hero complex" as his commanding officers had put it, that had ultimately gotten him kicked out. Apparently it now extended to teenagers he just met. John reached out to shake Jinto's hand again, and gave him a small salute before heading out and getting in the limo.

Kyle was waiting for him, sitting across the way from him in the rear-facing seat. "That was quick."

"Whomever my father has been sending down here has royally fucked things up. I don't know that they'll even license us anything at this point. They don't trust us not to stab them in the back at the first opportunity."

"That would have been your father and brother," Kyle said with a wry smile.

"Figures. Get David on the phone."

"You want it on speaker?"

"Yes."

Kyle worked a few buttons on his phone and then a few second later John could hear the ringing in the built-in speakers. Kyle glanced up and spoke quietly and quickly. "We'll head to San Francisco for the night, sir. I have a room at the Ritz already booked."

"Fine." John waiting until his brother picked up, not even letting him get past the first few words. "What the fuck did you do to Athosian that you neglected to tell me about before sending me here? Because these people distrust us on a level I haven't seen outside of civilians in a fucking combat zone."

"Nothing," Dave said calmly. "We talked to them like we talk to any potential acquisition."

"If that's the way you treat acquisitions, then it's no wonder we lose more than we gain. Fuck. These people are looking to be stabbed in the fucking back, David."

"It's not my fault they're a bunch of tree-hugging hippies who don't trust anyone," Dave said as the limo started to pull away from Athosian headquarters. "You're new to the business, John. You don't know what it takes to make these kinds of deals happen. And besides, what happened to the John Sheppard charm? You couldn't get in Teyla's pants?"

"Fuck you, David." John reached over and hung up the line.

Kyle was smart and kept his head down and didn't say a word.

John waited until the limo stopped at a light and got out, tossing his cell on the seat before Kyle could stop him. "I'm going for a walk and I'm unavailable."

"Sir, wait!" Kyle scrambled out after him. "This is not a good part of town. At least wait until we're in San Francisco."

John didn't slow down, just headed in the direction he had gotten out facing, lengthening his stride enough to make it near impossible for the smaller man to keep up.

It didn't take long, however, for the limo to pull up alongside him, pacing him as he walked down the street.

John abruptly turned down a one-way street where the car couldn't follow. He wasn't in the mood to play nice, and if he had to, he would use his urban combat training to lose them.

Three turns later he was certain he'd lost them—and had made himself completely lost in the process. Ground movement was so much more complicated than the air.

Sighing, John picked a direction and started walking. He wished he had better shoes on—a run would have been better, but he didn't particularly want blisters.

And in all honestly, it would look rather strange for him to run anywhere in a suit and dress shoes.

While he walked, he let his mind wander. He hated this kind of business, and hated that he was being dragged into it. Hated that this felt less honorable than killing people had. He had more guilt over this.

He hated that his brother thought that he was only a little better than a cheap hooker.

And that he was being used that way, thrown at problems with the expectation that he would charm people into signing their lives away where brute force didn't work. But he was done. He had been feeling a little sick about it for a while now, but this open distrust had just driven the point home.

But he had nowhere else to go. That was the kicker and what made it worse. He was stuck and his father and brother knew it.

At he walked, he eventually found himself at the stretch of water that separated Oakland from Alameda Island. He found a sidewalk that ran alongside it, and changed direction to follow that, not ready to give up. He had a small savings account he kept apart from the company and his family. It wasn't much, but it might be enough to get an apartment somewhere. He had the flight hours in; he could probably get a job flying for someone. Maybe a charter company.

"Sir?"

John whirled, body falling into old patterns preparing to defend himself before he saw who it was.

Kyle held up his hands, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. "Sir, are you okay?"

John let himself relax slowly. "I'm not going to San Francisco tonight, and I'm not playing this farce of a role for my family anymore. Tell them whatever you want, but I'm done pretending this is all okay with me."

"Sir, Miss Emmagan is on the phone for you." He gestured behind him where the limo was idling. John vaguely wondered how the stretch had actually been able to sneak up on him and find him.

Growling, John debated just turning and continuing to walk. Instead he held out his hand for a phone. There was no way in hell he was getting back in the car until he decided what he was doing. He wasn't getting trapped that way, not yet.

"Mister Sheppard?"

"Yes, this is Sheppard. Miss Emmagan, what can I do for you?"

"I have some changes to the paperwork you gave me and a single condition. If you cannot meet my condition, we will not proceed."

"What's the condition?" He hoped it was something that would seriously piss his father off. In his current mood, John would pretty much agree to anything she wanted.

"I will deal with you and only you."

At that, both his eyebrows went up. He had gotten the impression she didn't much approve of him. But knowing what she had probably faced in the rest of his family, at least John was honest about who and what he was. So that probably explained it. And maybe this would be a way out of playing family whore. "I'm not usually allowed to have much to do with our business partners after signing the contracts. I'm fairly certain my family believes I'll manage to screw things up if they let me have too much access. But I'll make sure they understand your condition when I send over the changes. I'd be more than happy to work with you."

"This point is not negotiable. I work with you and you get what you want or you get nothing. I need to know before the end of the day today."

"I'll get back to you before then." John hung up and dialed his brother's office.

It took three rings before his brother picked up. "David Sheppard."

"Athosian will license to us on the condition that I am the only person from the company they have to deal with. And my condition for doing it is that I'm not playing your whore anymore."

"We still need you in the field."

"No."

"That's your job. You work in the field and bring in contracts."

"And I'm telling you I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not going into clients that refuse to work with you or Dad because you lied and bullied them, and you're hoping that I can charm a different result. I'm not doing it anymore."

Dave sighed. "Athosian said they'd sign?"

"On the condition that they deal with me, yes. They had a few other changes to the terms, and I'll have Kyle send them over. But Miss Emmagan made it clear that without her condition being met, there was no deal."

"Fine. You get Athosian all to yourself. Just get me the paperwork so we can get moving on this. Atlantis has been yelling about this issue for too long and I just want to shut them up."

John paused. "Give me control of the entire Atlantis division. It's small, and I know you and Dad both hate dealing with people who actually think for themselves."

"I can't just give you that. It's not my call."

"Then talk to Dad and make it happen. Because I was serious. I'm not doing your mop-up work anymore."

"Fine. I'll talk to Dad later. I need you to go and see Thor Group tomorrow, though. And no, we haven't been there before. This is a new company entirely—and for the Atlantis division. They have some tech we're interested in. Preferably we'd like to acquire the company and all the patents."

John narrowed his eyes at the phone. "If I find out you're lying to me, and you or Dad have been there before and tried to stomp them into submission, I'm going to be pissed."

"I swear. Call Gloria or talk to Kyle. They can testify that we've never approached them before."

"Fine. I'll go. Get me the paperwork signing over control of Atlantis to me by tomorrow. I want to go in knowing I actually speak for the division, and I'm not a mouthpiece. I also want all the files we've got on the division and its various holdings, and the name and contact information for whomever heads operations on the ground there."

"I said I'll talk to Dad tonight. I can't exactly turn everything over to you without doing that."

"You have until the meeting tomorrow. I'm serious, David. I won't do it without the power to actually follow through on my promises. I won't do what you and dad do, and make promises I have no intention of keeping."

"John, come on…"

"No." John looked out over the water. "I'm done pretending I'm okay with trading my honor for money. It's not worth it to me. If I give someone my word, I intend to keep it, and I'm not going to be put in a position where someone else can come behind me and turn me into a liar."

"I'll talk to Dad."

"Good. Have the files in my inbox tonight. I want to start reading up on everything in the meantime."

"Remember, it's three hours later here, John. I'll do what I can. There's a benefit tonight, too."

"If you can stay up all night screwing people over, you can lose a few hours of sleep getting me the information I need to do the job right."

There was a long pause and John knew!—knew!—his brother was trying to hold his tongue. Normally a wise-ass comment about screwing would have flown out of his mouth. Apparently, his seriousness over the situation had finally gotten through to his brother. "I'll do what I can."

"Good. I'll talk to you later then." John hung up before his brother could say anything else. John finally turned back to the car.

"Sir?"

"Make sure we're on track to be at Thor tomorrow, although if my family doesn't come through, we won't be going to the meeting."

"Thor?"

"A new company we want to look at for the Atlantis division. If everything goes the way I want, I'll be taking over the division and all of its subsidiaries by tomorrow."

Kyle was focused on his phone, scrolling and tapping. "I don't see anything about Thor on the schedule, sir."

"It's a change of plans."

"Of course. I'll coordinate with Gloria to get the information on the meeting. Are you ready to head over to the Ritz?"

"Not really, but I need somewhere with an Internet connection, and that's as good as anywhere else. I also need to let Athosian know we accept their condition."

Kyle nodded, heading over to the idling limo. "Do you want the back to yourself, sir? I can make the call happen whenever you need."

John was suddenly exhausted. Apparently staging an unplanned internal hostile takeover was more taxing than he would have thought. And it wasn't over. John knew his father wouldn't let this pass without calling personally. "Fine, thank you."

Kyle held open the rear door for him, waiting until he was seated inside before closing it gently behind him. A few moments later, the front passenger side door opened and John saw Kyle climb in. He turned, looking at John through the open partition. "I'll get Miss Emmagan on the phone immediately and close this for your privacy, sir."

Nodding, John leaned back and closed his eyes. He wondered if he was doing the right thing. He knew he couldn't continue to do what he had been doing. But he didn't know if this was the right choice either. However, the dice had been cast, so now he had to run with it.

"Miss Emmagan for you, sir," Kyle said quietly and John could hear the partition began to close.

"Mister Sheppard?"

"Miss Emmagan. This is John Sheppard. I'm happy to tell you that it looks like we'll be able to meet your condition. If you could send over the other changes to the contract, I'll see about getting everything signed and done by the end of the week."

"I…did not expect to hear from you so quickly."

"You did say you needed to know one way or the other by the end of the day."

"And honestly, I did not think you would be able to meet my demand."

John chuckled softly. "Neither did I. But we're both pleasantly surprised today, apparently."

"I am in meetings this afternoon, but will be in San Francisco tonight. Can I drop off the paperwork to you somewhere?"

"Perfect. I'm staying at the Ritz. I'll leave word that when you ask for me at the desk, you're shown up to the suite. Will that work for you?"

"That would be fine. I will be in town around seven. If you are not in residence, I shall leave the paperwork for you at the front desk."

"Thank you, and I'll look forward to doing business with you."

"I appreciate your honesty and I hope this will be a fruitful endeavor for both of our companies."

"So do I." They both signed off, and John let himself relax back into the seat. He was going to have some cramming to do tonight, so he might as well rest while he had the chance.

There was traffic heading into the city—no surprise there—so they ended up finally pulling into the Ritz around two. After a quick check-in, John made himself at home in the Penthouse suite. He'd extended the reservation over the weekend, leaving on Monday morning. It would give him four nights in the city. He sent Kyle out to buy him a few days worth of clothes and to get them washed as he'd only planned for a two-day overnight initially.

The in-room lunch was perfect if overabundant, but then, all the hotels he stayed in bent over backwards to make sure he had everything he needed.

He moved to the balcony, looking out over the city. If he was able to push through control of Atlantis, maybe he'd move out here, get a condo. It would be far enough away from his family that he would more or less be left alone, as long as he didn't run the division into the ground. In theory at least.

His phone buzzed on the table behind him.

Without checking caller ID, he grabbed it and answered still looking out over the city. "Sheppard here."

"Apparently Kyle is running your errands again."

"Dad." John cringed, wondering what his father was going to go on about now. It was always one thing or another.

"What's this David is telling me? You want control of the Atlantis division? I thought we were doing so well with how we'd arranged things."

"You heard right. I'm tired of feeling like little more than a well-paid prostitute for the company. Athosian made it a condition of agreeing to license to us that they work only with me. I extended that, and want to be put in charge of the entire division."

"Running a company isn't fun and games, John. It takes discipline and cunning. Why don't you stay on the road for a few more months and then we'll see how it goes?"

"Because I'm outright refusing to do the work you've had me at for the last year anymore. I'll leave the company and live on the streets if that's the only option I'm given. And I won't run anything based on cunning, lies, false promises or any of that. If I make a promise, I'll keep it. Period."

His father sighed. Loudly. "I'm trying to stop you from making a bad decision here, John."

"It's not a bad decision when you look at it my way."

"I still reserve the right to pull you off the project." 

"No. I want some reassurance that the promises I make to people won't become lies because you or David decide to suddenly yank me out and go back to running it your way. Either give me enough autonomy to do it my way, or let me go."

"It's still my company, John. If the profits are there, I'll leave you alone. That's the only guarantee I'm going to give you."

John knew that was probably about as good as he was going to get. "Fine. But I want your word, and not the bullshit you give clients, that as long as I maintain at least the current profit level or better, you'll leave me alone to do it my way. And I want the power to do whatever I think is necessary to get the job done."

"Is that what it's going to take to get you to stop whining about your job?" Dad seemed more amused by this whole situation than angry, which was probably a good thing.

"I'm not whining, I'm putting my foot down at being whored out for profit, with the company acting as my pimp."

"You're whining about doing the job you agreed to do. I thought you'd have grown out of that by now. Gloria is sending you the files. Don't disappoint me." The call ended with an abrupt click.

John sighed. But at the end of the day, he had what he wanted, so that counted for something. And now maybe he could sleep at night. Well, the nightmares would still be there but at least now they'd go back to being combat-related, and not people in business suits sobbing at his feet as he shot them in the head without mercy.

Dad—for once—was good as his word and Gloria started sending files five minutes after the call with his father ended.

Sitting down at his laptop, he started the process of rapidly bringing himself up to speed on Atlantis, what its goals were, who the key players were, what had been requested, everything. He got so lost in reading, that although he was aware of Kyle moving around, he didn't realize anyone else was in the suite until someone cleared their throat nearby.

"Mister Sheppard?"

Starting, he looked up. "Miss Emmagan. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously," she said with a wry smile. She was no longer in her business suit, but instead some kind of flowy gown—complete with high slits on the sides and a deep plunging neckline.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought there was an unspoken agreement that I wouldn't hit on you, but you'd tempt a saint in that. I trust your business today went all right?"

"Business is business," she said inclining her head. "Tonight I am meeting a friend for dinner."

"Then I won't keep you long." He took the paperwork she held out, glancing over it and putting his signature in a few places. "I've taken over the entire division that your software will be used toward, so please let me know if you have any changes, and once I have a chance to really see what's going on, I'll let you know if we'd like to expand the license at all."

"You see no issues with the changes I requested?"

"No, none. There's nothing unreasonable here." He handed the packet back over, keeping out the second set for his own records. "Out of curiosity, I'll be setting up a meeting with the head of Atlantis, Elizabeth Weir, hopefully in the next week or two. If I think it would useful for you two to talk, would you be interested in a meeting?"

"I have heard much about her—and that is the main reason I am agreeing to this. I would be delighted if you could set up a meeting."

"Excellent. I haven't told them yet of the change of structure, but I'll let her know when I meet her that you'd be interested, and I'll see what I can do."

Teyla nodded. "When can I expect to see an updated copy of the agreement?"

"I'll send it over to our legal team tonight. With luck, we'll have the final, signed copies back in the next few days."

"That seems reasonable. I look forward to working with you," she said, holding her hand out to him.

He stood and took her hand, bowing over it slightly. "The pleasure is all mine."

"We shall see about that, now will we not?"

He straightened up and grinned. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Kyle showed her out, but John watched her the entire way.

When the door closed, he shook his head. "Damn, she is a beautiful woman. I envy whomever she's meeting for dinner in that dress."

"I'm surprised you didn't ask her to dinner."

"She obviously had other plans. And I'd like to have a good working relationship with her. Sleeping with people you work with is never a good idea."

Kyle gave him a weird look, but didn't comment. "Should I have dinner sent up?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." John turned back to his files. He still had a lot to get through if he wanted to not sound like an idiot tomorrow at Thor.

"What did you want?"

He waved a hand. "Anything is fine."

"There is a variety of food available. Did you want Thai, sushi, steak, seafood, Chinese… The hotel will provide whatever you wish."

"Whatever you're in the mood for is fine." John was already getting drawn back into the files.

He vaguely heard Kyle sigh, but ignored it. Soon enough there was a plate being placed on the table next to his elbow featuring a juicy cheeseburger with all the fixings. A beer appeared next.

Absently, John ate while he read, until he realized it was late and he needed to sleep if he wanted to be his best for the meeting. Pushing away from the desk, he stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to get undressed.


	2. Chapter 2

Breakfast was waiting when he finally emerged from the master suite the next morning after a shower and shave. As he ate, Kyle updated him on the day's schedule.

"Thor is set for 11 this morning. The legal department has already turned around the papers for Athosian."

"Fantastic. Then we have a good foundation to go in on. I was looking over the files last night for what Atlantis wants from Thor, but I'd like to speak to Doctor Weir before I go in, if possible. Can you see if you can get her on the phone?"

"Of course. Anything else?"

"Not right now, but I'll let you know if that changes."

Kyle faded into the distance like a good assistant. It was probably half an hour later before he finally returned, handing over a cell phone. "Elizabeth Weir for you."

John nodded his thanks, and took the phone. "Doctor Weir. This is John Sheppard."

"Good morning, Mister Sheppard. I'm told you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes, and sorry for such short notice. Last night, I convinced my father to give me control of our Atlantis division, and all the subsidiaries. So I wanted to formally introduce myself, and see if we could set up a time in the near future for me to come in and meet your people and learn more about what you do. There's only so much I can learn from files. In addition, I'm going into Thor today to start talking, and I wanted to get a few more details about what you want from them, so I can start off on the right foot."

There was a pause before Weir began speaking again. "That is…interesting news and a little sudden. I had been assured by your father that Atlantis would be an independent division within Sheppard Industries."

"Considering I'm the black sheep of the family, you still are. In fact, I've gotten reassurance from my father that as long as we maintain at least the current profit levels, he'll leave us alone."

"I honestly don't know what to say, Mister Sheppard. I'm concerned that your father is displeased with our contributions to the parent company, but he knew this would be a long-term investment."

"He's not displeased at all. This change is because I forced the issues, Doctor Weir, not because he was looking to hand you off. I was... uncomfortable with how my father was choosing to use me, and decided I would rather work with people who were accomplishing something."

"Still, this goes against what we had agreed upon two years ago. I believe we need to have this conversation in person, Mister Sheppard."

"Of course, and that's why I wanted to talk to you today. As I said, I already have a meeting set up with Thor, but I'd like to get out to meet you in person as soon as it's convenient for you. This all happened yesterday, from start to finish, so please don't think it's something we were keeping from you."

"Monday…ah, no. Tuesday would be the first available time I have open for a meeting. Should I arrange to fly to meet you?"

"No, I'll come to you. I'd like to get a tour of the facility while I'm there, if possible, and meet any of your key people you think it would be useful for me to know."

"Very well," she said, not sounding very happy to be agreeing to the meeting. He couldn't blame her. If he were in her shoes, he'd be pissed.

He gave a mental sigh. He just hoped he could convince her this was a good thing. "I'll be looking forward to it, Doctor Weir."

"Should I confirm our meeting with your assistant Kyle?"

"Yes, please. He'll be handing travel arrangements on our end, so he'll be the one confirming times."

"I will do so. See you on Tuesday, then. Safe travels."

"Thank you." Hanging up, John related the information to Kyle so he could start making arrangements, and got himself ready for his meeting with Thor. As they were in the limo, headed over, he looked to Kyle for the last-minute briefing. "Do we know the names of the executives I'll be talking to?"

"Daniel Jackson is the vice president of sales and marketing."

"What do we know about him?"

Kyle shook his head even as he opened up his briefing book. "Not much. He's been with the company since its founding seven years ago. He was a driving force behind their translation software. Samantha Carter is head of research and development and handles all the technology development for the company. She was unavailable today."

"And who's above both of them? There has to be someone who would make any final decisions about selling or licensing to us."

"Jack O'Neill is the president and owner. And is also unavailable."

"Damn. All right, well, at least we know who the eventual target is. I can feel out Jackson and see if I can't form a relationship with him to get higher up the food chain."

"It's a start."

"Everyone has to start somewhere."

"Of course. We'll wait in the parking lot for you."

Nodding, John took a deep breath as they pulled up to the building. This was new territory for him.

The secretary at the front desk was cordial but reserved, leading him to a waiting area just off the main reception. There were various fruit tarts and cupcakes on a platter along with copious amounts of coffee. There were three different coffee types—no decaf however—and various flavored creamers.

He helped himself to the coffee, knowing after his late night, it was better to be safe than sorry, and he wanted to be alert.

The coffee was…orgasmic. After the first sip, he couldn't drink it fast enough.

He was on his third cup when they sent someone for him, and couldn't help the longing look back at the pot.

"There will be more in the conference room, sir."

John grinned at him. "I'm guessing you get that a lot. What kind of coffee is that?"

"Doctor Jackson brings it in by the pallet. I don't know where he gets it, but we're not going to argue about it because it's divine."

"I don't blame you. I wonder what it would take to convince him to tell me who his supplier is."

"I don't think that's information he'll ever give up—even if his life was at stake. And what you had was the office coffee. He keeps the good stuff for himself."

"Damn. I need to start cultivating my own secret beverage stash. That makes two people in two days who serve me divine drinks, then refuse to tell me where to get some for myself. I think that could be classified as cruel and unusual punishment for something."

"It's the area, sir. There are some great farmers up here and no one wants anyone else to know who they are."

"Well, I can see why he wouldn't want to lose his supplier, but that's just mean to serve it to me, then."

The escort shrugged and offered a smile. "We're here. Doctor Jackson will be along shortly."

"Thank you." John grinned again, and went into the conference room, choosing to sit at one of the seats along the side, rather than the head, as he knew his father or brother would do.

The coffee was there—as promised—along with the tarts and cupcakes as well. What was it with the mini pies and cakes?

He helped himself to another cup of coffee, and settled in to wait.

He was on cup number two and had finally caved and had a cupcake—it was as orgasmically good as the coffee—before Doctor Jackson finally walked in, his nose in a book.

John rose. "Doctor Jackson. I'm John Sheppard. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today."

"Oh what," Jackson said, startled from his reading. He squinted at him and then closed the book, shaking himself. "Right. Sheppard. Jack had mentioned something about you coming. Did you get coffee and a snack?"

Jack. So Jackson was on a first name basis with the owner. Good to know. "Yes, and I'm insanely jealous of whomever you have on staff baking for you. And I was told I'm not allowed to ask who your coffee supplier is, since I'll be shot down."

"Oh, you like the cakes and tarts? Vala makes them for us—among other things. It's a side hobby for her. So what can I do for you?" He dropped his book on the table and moved to the coffee, filling a huge mug.

Apparently Jackson was on a first name basis with everyone of importance, although John wondered who Vala was, and what she did if this was only a hobby. "Well, I've been put in charge of the Atlantis division for Sheppard Industries, and I've been going over the files and notes. Some of the technology you're developing here is amazing, and my people would love to be able to incorporate some of it into their own work."

"Oh. Atlantis. You need to talk to Sam."

"Sam Carter? I was told she was on the list of people I want to talk to, but that both her, and Jack O'Neill, the owner, were unavailable to meet with me. I'd love to set something up for when they're both free."

"Really? Huh." Jackson looked at him for a moment before moving to the door. "I'll be right back."

John opened his mouth, but closed it again, since Jackson was already gone. Jackson must not be the front person very often. He wasn't very good at meetings.

A few minutes later, he could hear Jackson's voice, getting louder as he got closer. "…said you were unavailable, but it's about Atlantis and I think you need to talk to him."

John raised an eyebrow, but got it under control, rising to meet whichever of the two people he hadn't been able to get to Jackson had pulled away.

Jackson walked in with a woman with short-cropped blonde hair. She was in casual clothes—jeans and a t-shirt, but was still striking. "Mister Sheppard?" she asked, moving toward him, her hand outstretched. "I'm Doctor Samantha Carter. How can we help you today?"

John bowed over her hand slightly. "The pleasure is mine, and I apologize if I've pulled you away on your day off."

"I rarely take a day off," she said waving off his apology. "I don't believe we've met before."

"Sorry, no. I'm John Sheppard. I'm here because I was recently put in charge of the Atlantis division, and I was told there is technology being developed here that my people would really like to get their hands on. I'm hoping we can come to some kind of agreement."

"Atlantis Corp?"

John nodded. "They were acquired, as I'm sure you're aware, by my father's company a while back. They operate as an independent subsidiary, which isn't changing with me being put in charge. Basically, I'm here to make sure they get what they need to get the job done right."

Jackson glanced at her. "Isn't that where—"

She waved her hand, cutting him off. "I don't see how we can help you."

John wondered what Jackson had been about to say, but he wasn't going to pursue it right now. "Thor has developed some pretty amazing technology, that would be a huge help on the projects Atlantis is currently working on. I'd like to see about buying some of those patents from you, or if you'd rather not sell, license some of them for use in our labs."

"We're currently working with the government on some projects, so I'm not sure how much we can license to you."

He had read that in the short file they had on Thor. "Obviously, anything you feel uncomfortable with, or are under other obligations not to license, we would understand." John pulled out the list he had been given of the patents Atlantis would like to acquire. "These are the specific technologies we're interested in. I can leave that with you, if you'd like to look it over. I also have a copy of our standard licensing agreement, which would be a starting point for any agreements."

Carter looked like she was about ready to say no, but Jackson stepped in. "We'll take a look at both." She gave Jackson the evil eye and he didn't back down, instead responding in a hushed tense whisper, "Just because you were married to him doesn't mean he's trying to do something to you. Just listen to the offer."

John raised one eyebrow as he handed both documents over. "I don't need a response today. You can take your time to look everything over. My contact information is on both documents, so you can get back to me when you're ready."

"I can't guarantee anything," Carter said as she reluctantly took the papers from John.

"I understand that. I'm hoping we'll be able to develop a working relationship, however."

"We'll look these over and get back to you early next week," Jackson said, stepping in again.

"Thank you. And I appreciate your time today. I know it was short notice."

"It's fine. Sorry about the run-around," Jackson said, ushering John toward the door. "We're usually more welcoming than that." Jackson sent an annoyed glance back toward Carter as he walked out into the hallway.

John shrugged. "No problem. I understand how hard it is to separate business from personal sometimes."

"It shouldn't be. Look," he said, pausing in the hall. "I'll be honest with you. We're not happy with the current governmental relationship we have and we're looking to get out of it. This might give us the leverage we need to do that. I'm going to talk to Jack this weekend and see what we can do. I like Atlantis Corp and Elizabeth is fair and hard working. I've worked with her in the past on a few projects and they've all gone very well."

John nodded. "I have a meeting with Doctor Weir next week, so I'll talk to her about what we might be able to offer to sweeten the deal. We've also just signed some license agreements with Athosian, and I know you've worked with them in the past as well."

"Yeah. Teyla runs a tight ship over there."

"She is a very impressive woman. I'm looking forward to working with her."

"And sorry about Sam, again. As you can tell there's some bad blood."

"I can see that. If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

"She was married to the head of Atlantis' R&D department. It was a tough divorce."

"Ah. Sounds like it." John made a mental note to find out who the guy was. "Were they working at separate labs when they were married, or did that happen when they split?"

"They worked together, here. They were co-head of the department, but then accusations started flying about infidelity and stolen ideas and credit and…you know how it goes. He left and went to work for Atlantis."

"Ouch. Bad blood indeed."

"It's been a few years, but it's still a touchy subject." Jackson started walking again. "I'll make sure this doesn't get shoved to the back burner. I think it'll be a good option for us to explore even if it means the two of them will have to actually talk to each other like grown adults."

John chuckled. "Well, I'm willing to be a go between, if it makes it any easier. I'm sure we could find ways to work together that wouldn't require them to be in the same room together."

"That would be a big help," Jackson said with a chuckle as they reached the main lobby. "Hang on here. Let me get you some cards and some papers you can go over."

John nodded, taking advantage of the short wait to have another cup of coffee.

Jackson bustled in with a bag full of information about ten minutes later. "Here you go. I think this will give you the background information you're looking for."

In return, John handed over a business card with his personal cell number on it. "I'll read these over, and I'll be looking forward to, hopefully, working with you."

"Great, that's great. I'll be in touch next week."

As soon as he was back in the limo, John turned to Kyle. "I want to know everything there is to know about our head of R&D. He was apparently married to the woman who runs things here, and the divorce was less than pleasant."

"For what division?"

"He just said the guys runs Atlantis' R&D Division. But he was married to Samantha Carter, and only came to work with us after the divorce. So it shouldn't be hard to track him down."

"I'll look into it."

"Thank you. What's next on my agenda?"

"The paperwork is already on Miss Emmagan's desk. Your afternoon is clear."

John slumped into the seat then. "Do we still have the suite?"

"Booked through Monday morning."

"Then lets head back there. I'd like to relax this afternoon."

"Of course. Anything you'd like me to book for you for the weekend?"

"Probably, but I don't know yet. Right now, I want to get some sleep."

"There are some services available if you're interested in some company."

John raised an eyebrow. "I love California."

"I know you do. I've traveled with you enough."

"True." John nodded. "Make some discreet calls. I'm not interested in having anything splashed on the tabloid pages."

"No one remotely famous. Gotcha."

"Exactly. Discreet and no drama."

"Gender preference?"

"Male." John wasn't in the mood to play with emotions, and even female prostitutes sometimes crossed that line. Men were usually able to just have sex and enjoy it, then leave it at that.

"Any other preferences?"

John shook his head. "I don't think so. Just specify that I'm not looking for a drama queen. I just want sex."

Kyle nodded, not even blinking an eye. He was getting used to him, finally. "Understood. Do you want one for the weekend or several?"

"One for now. We'll see how I feel tomorrow."

"I'll have someone for you by eight."


	3. Chapter 3

John spent the next several days pleasantly with the guy the agency Kyle had found. He proved to be both limber and up for almost anything. John paid him well and when it came time to check out, they were both exhausted in all the right ways.

On the way to the airport, Kyle handed him an inch-thick folder and a strange look. "Here's the information you wanted. I have to say I'm not…looking forward to meeting him anytime soon."

John didn't say anything, but took the folder from him. He'd rather form his own opinions, but Kyle's comment made him curious.

Once in the limo, he opened up the folder to find a candid picture of a man staring up at him. He had been caught mid-word and not in a flattering light at all. He was red-faced and his hands were waving—even blurred in the photo. John swore he could even see spit hovering in the air.

It was hard to tell much from the photo, but it seemed Rodney McKay was excitable—at least in certain circumstances. He paged through the rest of the images—all pulled from various public places from the last several years. Scientific conferences headed the list of the image sources, it seemed. And it looked like McKay was yelling at someone in every single photo. No wonder Samantha Carter had gotten fed up if the only thing the guy knew how to do was yell and scream—that made for a very difficult and tiring marriage. 

The final photo was what looked like a publicity shot of some kind and the logo in the bottom from Thor Corporation solidified his assumption. It wasn't a bad picture—for a balding, aging scientist whose mouth did a weird thing even when he attempted to smile. John swore he could feel the annoyance through the photo. He wondered what it had taken to get him to sit in front of the camera in the first place.

John shook his head and chuckled to himself. Atlantis was certainly going to be interesting. The rest of the file was pretty straightforward with several pages dedicated to the McKay/Carter split—including some legal paperwork that had been filed involving patents and copyrights. It looked like Carter had won on all counts. 

Interesting, then, that she seemed to be the bitter one, if she had been the one to come out ahead. John wondered what McKay's side would be. He glanced over at Kyle. "Other than McKay and Weir, anyone else I'll be meeting?"

"Right now that's all the information I have. The meeting's scheduled for tomorrow first thing. We'll get to Maine this afternoon sometime."

"Since I doubt they've been idle, do we know what information they've been pulling about me? It will give me an idea of what to expect when I walk in the door."

"There's not a lot out there on you publically. That's kept pretty well under wraps. They know you were in the Air Force and left as a Major." Kyle shrugged. "Your father likes to control what's available about all of his assets."

John made a face, but it was true. However, that wouldn't stop people like these. "Assume they're accessing less... public locations. Given the credentials of the people I've been reading up on, assume they can get in and out of private databases with ease. How much about me is stored in my father's private files? Ordinarily, I'd really rather not know how well—or not—he keeps tabs on me, but in this case, that will probably be the basis for how these people perceive me."

"Not much. Dave made sure to clean it up before you started traveling."

"Again, how much was deleted, and how much was just encrypted?"

Kyle sighed. "I don't know."

"Great." Knowing Dave, probably just encrypted. And John could read between the lines—Atlantis had some of the best hackers outside of the government. And possibly including the government. Well, he'd know soon enough.

"We're flying into Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport. It's the closest airfield to where they're located in Bass Harbor. I've booked you in to The Claremont Hotel. It's not up to your usual standards, but it's…quaint."

"That's fine. I'm not looking for anything too fancy this time. I want to make a good impression on Weir, since I have a feeling whether or not she likes me will determine how much of this is going to be easy, and how much it's going to be a battle."

Kyle glanced out the window as they rounded a turn. "It looks like we're here. If you need me to continue digging I'll do it on the plane-ride out there. It'll be about a five hour trip—give or take—putting us into town around six at night."

"If you wouldn't mind, see what else you can find. Atlantis values intelligence, so the more I know, the better I'll look."

Kyle nodded. "Of course, sir." The limo slid to a stop and Kyle immediately jumped out, working with the driver to get John's bag—apparently he'd gained one in San Francisco—loaded onto the plane.

John headed to the plane and got himself set up. He popped his head into the cockpit to annoy the pilot for a few minutes and talk shop, and then got settled for takeoff.

The flight was uneventful and productive. Kyle continued to pull information for John. By the time they landed, he felt confident he could speak to Elizabeth Weir intelligently on the business of Atlantis and even offer some suggestions on materials sourcing and ways to cut costs in some areas—there was no need for that much coffee to be shipped through customs—to make up some shortfalls in other areas.

When they got to the hotel, John nodded to himself. It was historic and, like Kyle had said, very quaint. It was actually kind of refreshing after all the opulence. And with luck, his father had never spent money here, so they wouldn't bend over backward to please him.

Of course, Kyle went for the best room in the house and had booked him in at The Rowse House, a large oceanfront cottage with four bedrooms and a wrap-around deck. It was gorgeous, and a little much for just him, but…

John wandered into the bedroom, and looked out over the water. If he could build a condo for himself somewhere, this is the bedroom he would want.

Kyle ordered in food from somewhere—a traditional lobster dinner—and John fell into bed at a reasonable hour. When the morning rolled around, John could smell coffee brewing somewhere downstairs as he pulled himself together.

After a shower and shave, he looked over his wardrobe, deciding to go with business casual. He didn't think scientists were button-down suit types, and he didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. So slacks and a dress shirt tucked in, no tie.

After a quick breakfast, the car service took him to Atlantis Corp., which had its headquarters in a building on Southwest Harbor on Shore Road. It was a beautiful location and the building fit in well. He could tell it was a new build, but styled to match the Maine locale.

Nodding to himself, John took a deep breath and headed inside.

A young blonde woman was sitting at the front desk, typing away. She glanced up at him as he entered, but continued her typing. "John Sheppard?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm here to see Doctor Weir."

"It's good to know that you still look like your photo," she said, with a smile. She ended her typing with a few keystrokes and was on her feet, extending her hand. "Laura Cadman. I do a little of everything around here. Nice to meet you."

He shook her hand, being careful not to flirt. The last thing he wanted was to piss off Weir by seducing her people. "I'm almost afraid to ask which photos you've seen."

"All of the good ones," she said with an evil smile and a twinkle in her eye. "And you look better in person I might add." She pulled her hand back and glanced down at her computer screen. "It looks like the conference room is free, so I'll bring you on back."

John flashed her a smile, and followed her down the hall. "Do you know who, besides Doctor Weir, will be available to meet with me today?"

"You're only set to meet with her," she said, moving quickly through various offices until she stopped at the conference room, which featured various stained glass windows and a view of the ocean. "Make yourself at home. There's some coffee."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I've heard a lot about Doctor McKay. If his work schedule allows it, I'd be interested in meeting him while I'm here at some point."

Her smile froze on her face and she nodded. "Of course you would. Doctor Weir would be your best bet when it comes to schedules."

John raised an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned about him?"

"I'll remind Doctor Weir about her meeting," she said, pulling the door closed behind her.

Well, that was interesting. He had more questions, but he would wait to ask Weir. It wasn't appropriate to grill her receptionist.

Less than five minutes passed before the door opened again to reveal Elizabeth Weir. She looked just like the images Kyle had put together for him—but the dark circles under her eyes were a new addition. "Mister Sheppard, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Doctor Weir."

He rose and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She gracefully slid into a chair at the head of the table. "So, what I can do for you, Mister Sheppard?"

He sat down once she was in place. "Well, as I said on the phone, I've bullied my father into giving me oversight of Atlantis." He had decided, after reading through all the files, that his standard policy of brutal honesty would probably serve him well here. "Basically, I want to be your go-between. Instead of having to go through the petition process every time you need something, you and I will just get together, form and plan, and I'll do my best to execute it for you."

"That seems fairly straight-forward, but as you already know, we've been completely independent from Sheppard Industries since the purchase. While we put in requests for materials and various other items through Sheppard when our own staff can't source them ourselves, we'd prefer to stay independent. We rather…like the way things have been."

He nodded. "But you do put in requests and the process is arduous. On top of that, I've been over the records you've submitted—using rocket scientists to source the purchase of widgets isn't the most efficient use of your time or talent." He looked her straight in the eye. "I'm not here to replace you, Doctor Weir. I pushed for this precisely because you aren't stupid, and you don't need me to hold your hand. I want to work with intelligent people to build something amazing, and I know I can't do that if I try to force you into a mold you don't fit."

She held his eyes for a moment before looking away. She nodded a few beats later. "Fine. I do have to admit that…integrating you into our team here will not be as easy as winning me over."

He snorted. "I think scientists by their very nature don't trust anyone or anything easily. It's what makes them good at what they do. I'm also not here to win a popularity contest—while I rather hope I'm not outright hated, as long as we can all work together, I'll take what I can get."

She nodded again. "Did you have specific things in mind you wanted to talk about while you were here—apart from introducing yourself?

He nodded. "I'd like to meet some of your key people and get a tour, if possible, but I don't want to put anyone out. However, more pressing is Thor Industries, and the patents I'm trying to license from them for you. I met with them once, and while a Doctor Jackson was amiable to hearing me out, Doctor Carter was not. I got the impression she and her ex-husband, who is now our head of R&D, didn't part of the best of terms. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the situation, and again, if possible, meet and speak with Doctor McKay."

Weir's lips tightened down into a thin line. "Doctor McKay is unavailable."

He leaned forward. "Okay, what is it about McKay? All the reports I read on him give the impression he's brilliant beyond words, if a bit... antisocial. I would still think he'd be a coup for us to have on staff. So why does everyone here get that look every time I mention his name?"

"Doctor McKay is as brilliant as he says he is, although he can be a bit…difficult to handle," she said firmly. She pressed her hands into the top of the conference table, looking down at her fingers for a long moment. "Unfortunately, we don't know where he is right now."

Both of John's eyebrows went up. "Is he prone to just disappearing without notice?"

Weir shook her head and looked up at him, weariness in her face. "No, he's not. We usually have to…encourage him to leave and rest. We'd finally succeeded in getting him to take the weekends off. This is the first time he's not shown up for work on Monday…or Tuesday."

John's military training was starting to creep in. He was suspicious by nature, and when people changed patterns like that with no warning, his special ops skills started tingling. "So no one has seen him in four days?"

"No. No one. Carson is filling out the paperwork with the local police department. We couldn't do anything until this morning."

"Then everything else can wait. Has anyone gone by his home?"

Weir nodded, tiredly. "Radek and Carson went yesterday…late morning. It's quiet. Everything's locked down. Rodney's car is in the driveway. The Sunday newspaper was still on the step and the mail from Saturday was in the mailbox. We're guessing something happened Friday night or Saturday morning."

"Would someone be willing to take me over there? I can get into the house, and we can see if he's there and in trouble, or if there are signs of something else. If there are signs, I'll find them."

"I can have Laura drive you. The police are due to arrive here shortly. They wouldn't let us report him missing until at least twenty-four hours had passed. They wanted us to wait and see if he'd return on his own. He is a grown adult. He could have gone for a long weekend somewhere. We just…we don't think he did."

"And I trust your judgment." John rose. "Can you have her take me there now? If it's any one of a number of things, time could be something we're fighting against, especially since it's already, probably, been a few days."

"I know," she said rising to her feet. He followed her out to the lobby. "Laura, I want you to take Mister Sheppard to Rodney's house. He's going to look around. You still have the key?"

"Yes, ma'am. Kept it on my ring since I figured we'd be heading back out there."

John handed Weir his card, with his personal cell on it. "You can reach me at this number. I'm going to send my assistant, Kyle, in to help you while I'm gone. He's dealt with the police before for my father, and he can help out with anything else you need in the meantime."

"Of course," she said, glancing down at the card in her hand. "I was hoping to have this resolved before you arrived."

"I wish you had too, since it would mean Doctor McKay was safe and in his lab. But since he's not, I'll do my best to help find him for you."

Weir offered a weak smile. "Thank you."

John followed Cadman outside, detouring only slightly to give Kyle a brief summary, and ask him to head in to help Doctor Weir as much as possible.

Cadman climbed into a compact car—some kind of Prius—and they headed out. McKay's place was less than a ten-minute drive south and right on the water. "This is it," she said, pulling up at the curb. "Everything looks as it should…well, as much as we can tell. He'd never had anyone over except Carson."

John got out of the car, slowly looking around. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look out here before we go inside."

"Sure. Whatever you want."

John walked around the site, looking for signs of struggle. It was possible McKay had never even gotten inside, if it was a kidnapping, and they had taken him Friday night.

Everything looked okay…from the outside. There was nothing out of place or anything that indicated there had been an issue. He wandered back to the front of the house to where Cadman was waiting, leaning against the front of her car.

"You have a key to the front door?"

"Yep." She held up her key ring and jingled her keys. "Right here."

He nodded for her to unlock the door. "How many people have been in since McKay didn't show up for work?"

"Carson and Radek came to check on him. I don't think they went in, though. Doctor Weir had to go into the files this morning to get his house key."

"Good. When we go in, don't touch anything."

She nodded, following him in as he unlocked the door.

John moved slowly through the house, following his own advice and being careful to touch nothing. He was sure the police would be here later, and he didn't want to muddy anything.

Everything looked to be in place until they reached the bedroom. It looked like a bomb had gone off in there. Drawers were turned upside down, their contents strewn across the room. The closet doors were open and the few clothes remaining inside we're hanging haphazardly from the hangers. 

There was a single chair in the middle of the master bedroom with blood drops on the floor beside it.

Kneeling next to then, John knew his instincts had been right. Someone had been here, and taken McKay with them when they left. "Cadman, do you know if McKay brought anything home with him to work on?"

"He always had a computer with him, a laptop." Her eyes were wide, but she didn't seem scared. It was more…angry. "I'll check to see if he had an office. He might have left it in there."

"Thank you. Remember not to touch anything though." John rose from his knees, and continued looking around the room, wishing he dared to move things around a bit. Right now, he was just hoping to find some kind of clue as to who might have been here.

It didn't look like McKay had made it to bed. The bedding, while rumpled was not undone. They had to have been waiting for him to come home Friday night.

Which meant they had to have gotten in somehow. John moved to take a closer look at the bedroom window.

After a brief examination, he knew they hadn't come in through the window. It was tight and untouched. He heard Cadman coming before she appeared in the doorway.

"The office is tossed, too. No computer, though. The rear sliding glass doors seem to have been tampered with."

"Odds are good they didn't find what they were looking for—otherwise, they wouldn't have taken him when they left." John followed her to the sliding glass door. "When you're after information, even if you set up a scenario like this, you leave the guy tied up, but here. You don't risk taking him with you."

"He is scary-smart."

"Doesn't matter. That actually adds to the risk of taking him. Not only does it increase the odds of him escaping or getting word to someone about where he is, it also increases the odds someone will notice he's missing all that much faster, and get them looking for you. If they had just taken information, we'd be looking for them, but not with the kind of intensity or focus we'll bring to bear for McKay himself."

"There's one other thing," she said with a grimace.

"What?" He glanced over at her and warned, "I'm going to do everything I can to find him, but I can't do that if you aren't willing to share all the intelligence you have."

"Come with me."

He nodded, following her through the house.

She led him to the bathroom just across from the office and pointed inside. There was blood on the floor, the walls, the sink…and a small metal bead of sorts sitting on the edge of the sink. "They cut out his transponder."

"Transponder?" John moved in, again being careful not to touch anything. The blood in the bedroom was probably leftover from the cutting they did here. So maybe information wasn't what they were after.

"We all have a locator transponder implanted when we start working at Atlantis,” Cadman explained. “We deal with some highly classified, top-secret stuff and this was supposed to be a secret. The transponder. That means someone in the company knew about it and where it was placed."

"So this was an inside job. Or at least, whoever did this has a mole planted." He straightened up. He had never met the man, but John already thought of Atlantis as "his". And this was triggering all of his protective—and special ops—instincts. "Does everyone in Atlantis have one and know about them, or is it limited to those who work on certain projects?"

"Everyone has one," she nodded. "We all end up pitching in on a variety of projects so we all have some information about most things we're working on. Elizabeth calls it cross-training."

"Fuck, that makes it harder." His gaze hardened as he looked around. "While I get the impression McKay isn't the most likeable guy, this doesn't feel like a personal vendetta. This is someone who wants him for his brain. It seems that Atlantis, for the most part, pretty tight knit as a group. I'm going to need a list of all personnel, but what I'll need right away is the names of anyone who is fairly new to the company. We can work back from there."

"I…" Cadman paused, cutting off her words. "I hate to point fingers, but…"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You have some ideas of who the mole could be? Good. Then let's get back and get me in a conference room with that person or people and see if I can get anything."

"And that's going to be a problem. They're not working for us anymore."

"How long ago were they let go?"

She sighed. "Within the month because they nearly blew up the building and ignored all the safeguards McKay put into place—for good reason."

It was a good candidate then. Someone with a grudge would be more open to being approached for information. "Is that person still in the area?"

"I don't know. And there are two possibilities. One is Calvin Kavanagh. The other is Artie Henderson. Both of them worked closely with McKay on various projects. I'm sure you have their personnel files."

Looking around, John took a deep breath. "Do you know where they live? If so, let's pay them a visit now. If not, I'll call Kyle and have him pull the last known address."

"I…no," she said shaking her head. "I wasn't friendly with either of them—for good reason."

John nodded, pulling out his phone as he headed out of the apartment. A quick call to Kyle got the information he needed, and they were on their way. He needed to find the mole if he had a chance in hell of finding McKay.

They found Kavanagh at his house. He stumbled to his front door a bag of Cheetos in his hand. There were telltale signs of orange on his khaki pants.

John kept his face impassive. "Doctor Kavanagh?"

"Yeah, what?" His stringy, greasy-looking hair was pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes slid past John's and landed on Cadman, his mouth turning in a deeper frown. "What do you want? You can't fire me again. You already did that."

"My name is John Sheppard, and I have some questions for you about some information that went missing from my company around the same time you were let go." Without waiting for an invitation to come in, John simply walked inside, knowing that a man like Kavanagh seemed to be wouldn't put up resistance, although he didn't like it.

"Your company? I never worked for a John Sheppard. Who the hell are you?" Kavanagh followed him into the house, leaving the front door standing open. The house itself was small and dark—and was a junk food cemetery. John spotted fast food containers everywhere.

"I own Atlantis Corp., Mister Kavanagh. I have owned it for quite some time, so this is nothing new." John looked around. "When you left, sensitive information also left. I admit, the timing could be coincidence, but that's why I'm here—to listen to your version of events."

"I was fired. What else is there to say?"

"When you left the building, what did you take with you?"

"My dignity. Ask Bates. He threw me out on my ass and for no good reason!"

John looked around. "I was led to believe you had a certain amount of computer equipment, both your own and company property that was later retrieved."

"I worked from home!" Kavanagh protested. "Bates came and cleaned out my office. I should have filed a report on invasion of privacy and unlawful recovery."

"Doctor Kavanagh." John let his disdain show. "I'm not here to listen to you whine. I'm here to find out who stole my company's secrets, which is not only in violation of the contracts signed when you were hired—and were reinforced in the contract you signed when you were terminated—but is also against the law. I will have you arrested for corporate espionage. Now, I am here to ascertain if I want to take that step. You can either give me a reason why you're not a thief, or I can call the authorities now."

"Did McKay put you up to this? I should have known. He hated me from the moment he stepped into the company. I did exactly what I was hired to do."

John knew, with that statement, that Kavanagh wasn't the mole. An annoying, disaffected ex-employee, yes. But not the mole. He looked at Cadman. "He's not the one we're looking for. Let's hit the next one."

They left a sputtering Kavanagh in his living room and headed back out. He caught a brief mutter from Cadman and raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed and smirked. "I said, 'These aren't the droids you're looking for.' Stupid, I know, but…" She shrugged.

"Patience, young Skywalker." He gave her a small grin.

"You're not like your brother," she said as she started the car and pulled away from the curb.

John snorted. "That is probably the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while."

"Well, I've dealt with corporate on some requisitions, so I've talked to him a few times."

"I'm sorry then." John shot her a look. "I'm the black sheep of the family, for all intents and purposes."

"Well, in this case, you might end up being the white knight."

He chuckled. "My father would have a kitten if he knew I was helping out instead of back at the office talking to the police. But I've always been more of an action kind of guy."

"Is that so?" she asked, pulling up to a red light. She glanced over at him. "I’m sure Elizabeth is taking care of things with them just fine. She is a trained diplomat and when it comes to dealing with some of the personalities at Atlantis…she needs to be."

"Good, then no one can complain that we aren't allocating our resources correctly. My background is in special ops and tracking down people like assassins and kidnappers."

Art Henderson's house was in a nice part of town, overlooking the ocean. It was a multi-million dollar house.

John raised an eyebrow and opened up his files. "Interesting. Our records show that Henderson has only lived here for about six months. Before that, he lived in a much, much less wealthy neighborhood. Why was he let go?"

"He and Kavanagh weren't following protocols—for the fifteenth time—and this time when McKay fired them, Elizabeth refused to take them back once McKay's anger blew over." 

"So they were let go at the same time? Was it as dramatic as Kavanagh implied?"

Cadman shrugged. "It was usual. Fire alarms. Screaming scientists. A nearly blown up building. McKay turning red and screaming at the top of his lungs."

"Sounds like a party. Next time I need to make sure I get an invitation."

"Don't worry. I'm sure McKay will fire you eventually. He's fired Elizabeth twice—not that he actually can—Carson a few times. I think Radek's up to five. Simpson has an even dozen."

"Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to meeting him. I like fiery people."

"If you call it that." She pointed toward the house. "Want to go see if he's home?"

Nodding, John slid out of the car and headed for the house. Something pricked at the base of his skull, and he really wished he had a gun.

The house was quiet and no one came to the door when the door chime—thirty-second long door chime—echoed through the house.

John looked around. He had a feeling of being watched. Henderson was home, somewhere, and watching them. John was pretty sure he had found the mole, and that made this man very dangerous. He handed his phone to Cadman, then raised his voice slightly, hoping she was a quick and intelligent as he thought she was. "Damn it, this is dead. Would you mind doing me a favor and plugging it into the car while I hit the bell a few more times? Maybe he's just sleeping."

"Sure thing, sir," she said raising an eyebrow at him. "But you can just use my phone if you need one." She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

He nodded. "Could you do me a favor, if it comes on when you plug it in, check to see if Kyle called. That man gets positively mean when I miss his calls. You'd think I was his assistant sometimes."

Of course, his phone chose that moment to start ringing.

Damn it. John shoved Cadman down, following instinct. A moment later, bullets hit the wall right next to where her head had been. "Fuck. Get to the car and call the police. I'll get to Henderson."

Instead of listening to him, she was crouched beside him, a small handgun in hand as she surveyed the area. "I think it came from the tree-line."

"He's got it on a control, probably from somewhere in the heart of the house. Please, I have training for this kind of thing, and I can't do it if I'm worried about you. One of us needs to call for backup. I'm not asking you to leave, just call for backup. If you feel like you want to follow me after that, I can't stop you."

"I’m a firearms and demolitions expert,” Cadman insisted. “I was in the Air Force and I tap dance. We'll be fine."

John raised an eyebrow. "Demolitions? I think I might be in love. All right, follow my lead." Without waiting for an answer, John stood, kicked in the window and dove through it before another rain of bullets could start.

Cadman was right behind, staying low and close. She was vigilant, her eyes scanning everything and never staying still.

John was willing to bet that Henderson had some kind of hidey-hole, probably in the middle of the house. And he had already made it clear he would kill to protect it. Moving fast, but keeping his eyes and ears open, he moved rapidly through the house, noting the layout, and comparing it to his mental map from what he had seen outside. They triggered a few more traps, but he anticipated most of them.

A bullet caught his shoulder, but he felt it pass through, so he gritted his teeth and ignored it. The traps were getting heavier, so he knew they were getting closer. In fact, he looked ahead to a door that at a glance seemed the same as the rest, but on closer inspection, looked like it had been reinforced. That was their goal then.

"Sir, you're bleeding."

"I'll be fine." He pointed to the door. "Think you can hit the hinges on that? The door itself is probably steel, but the hinges don't look like they were changed out."

"I have C4 in the trunk."

"If shooting the hinges doesn’t work, leave me the gun and go for the C4. Seriously. I think I might love you. Are you single?"

"Carson would have my head if I said yes." She pressed the gun into his hand. "The hinges are newer than they look. C4 will work. Keep down. I'll be back in five."

He nodded. "Lucky man." Since he had been counting doors and comparing it with the number of windows outside, he had a feeling this room had none. It was probably meant to be a safe room, but right now it just meant Henderson had to go through him to get out. Since he had the time, he stripped off his shirt and used his teeth to tear a strip and tie off his arm. Kyle, Dave and his father were going to have conniptions over this misuse of wardrobe.

Cadman was back on his side just as he was finishing—and nearly startled him. Damn she was quiet.

He wondered how she had ended up here, but that was a question for another time. He covered her while she set the C4, and then handed her back the gun. "It's your C4, so you can have the honor."

"Fire in the hole," she said with a wicked smile and hit the button.

As soon as the smoke was clearing, they took up position on either side of the door. John went in first, trusting her to cover him.

Henderson was there, all right, coughing and choking from the smoke from the explosion. He was hunched over in front of a bank of monitors and keyboards. Control central.

John didn't hesitate. He grabbed the man and hauled him up from the chair, pinning him to the nearby wall. "Henderson. We haven't met yet, but in the next few minutes, we're going to become very good friends. You're going to tell me what I want to know, and in exchange, I won't kill you. I happen to know 247 ways to kill a person with nothing except what I see, right now, in this room. Eighty-two of them will look like you died of natural causes. Do we understand each other?"

He nodded—eyes wide with fear—as he tried to stop coughing. 

"Excellent. Now, my name is John Sheppard, and you stole something from me. Someone, actually. I have no doubt that you weren't personally at the scene, since it was too bloody for a person who hides in a safe room and shoots people from a computer screen. Nevertheless, you helped set it up, and you know who is behind it. So tell me, Henderson, who has Doctor McKay, and where can I find them?"

"I don't know where he is, I swear."

"You're going to have to try harder, Henderson. Do you see that stapler? I could kill you with it by ramming it down your throat. Or I could pull out the staples and force you to swallow them, shredding you from the inside. Or, if I decide I'm in a hurry, I could bash you over the head with it. And that's just the stapler. Would you like me to go through all 247 options?"

Henderson shook his head. "I swear. I don't know where he is. Kolya didn't tell me anything."

"Why don't you tell me about Kolya then?"

"He works for Genii Corporation. That's all I know."

"Why did he want McKay? What information did you give him?"

"Genii wanted information. He refused to work for them."

"You're going to have to do better than that, Henderson." John narrowed his eyes, and didn't make any attempt to cover his anger, or intent, with his usual charm.

"That's all I know, I swear,” Henderson gibbered. “They just wanted to know his work schedule, where his transponder was located, and where he lived."

"And how did they know about the transponder?"

He paused for a long moment and John leaned in closer until he replied. "I…I told them."

John narrowed his eyes. "I think you're hiding things from me, Henderson, and that seriously pisses me off." Getting right in the man's face, John began to squeeze his thumb into Henderson's shoulder, knowing how much pain it would cause.

"It was….was part of my job…to get information, but McKay locked everything down and the important stuff is in his head."

Growling, John pressed harder. "So you joined my company with the express purpose of stealing from me."

"Ow…yeah, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. No one was going to get hurt. It's just stupid formulas that won't work anyway."

"Cadman, check his computers. I want to know if he's lying about knowing more about where I can find Genii."

"Radek can do that. I don't know enough about them, sir," she said, holding her ground. "Kyle is on his way."

"Good." John was furious, and before he let Henderson drop to the ground, he pressed his thumb in hard, making sure he felt the snap of the bone there. "If I find out you lied to me about anything, Henderson, I will make sure you spend a lot of time regretting it, in a considerable amount of pain."

Huddled on the ground in pain, Henderson simply whimpered.

John stalked out of the room; confident Henderson wasn't going anywhere right now.

Cadman followed him out. "Sir?"

He took several deep breaths, reminding himself that taking out his anger on anyone other than the people responsible was a shitty thing to do. "Yes?"

"Kyle is with the local officers and they want your statement." She waved his phone at him.

Taking another breath, John had to force himself to put on his corporate executive persona. It was hard, when the soldier in him wanted to hunt and kill people. "Sheppard here."

"Sir," Kyle said in his clipped business tone. "I'm here with Officer Kennedy. We're five minutes out. He needs to take a statement from you and Miss Cadman. Also, a Doctor Radek Zelenka will be arriving shortly."

"Excellent. Henderson has confessed to joining Atlantis with the express purpose of stealing information for a Genii Corp. He also confessed that he provided them with the information they needed to kidnap Doctor McKay. There is some computer equipment here that I was told Doctor Zelenka will be best qualified to examine, to see if there is any additional information about Doctor McKay's whereabouts." He paused. "And please inform Officer Kennedy that Henderson began shooting at us when we rang the doorbell and was injured in the ensuing altercation."

"Of course, sir. I'll arrange for emergency services as well."

"Thank you." John glanced down at himself, remembering that he was bleeding. As the adrenaline left him, his shoulder started to ache. "I will need those services as well. The fucker shot me."

"Yes, sir," Kyle said and John swore he could hear his eyes roll. "I'll inform them. Turning into the driveway now."

John didn't bother to respond, hanging up the phone and shoving it in his pocket. He walked over to meet the car.

Kyle emerged from the passenger side of the car, a tight expression on his face. Officer Kennedy didn't look much happier. "Sir. This is Officer Kennedy. He's working with us on this case."

John held out his hand to shake the officer's hand. "I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances, sir, but it's nice to meet you."

"It seems there was quite the disagreement here."

"Yes, I came here with the intention of asking Mister Henderson a few questions, and immediately found myself being shot at. I know I should have waited for your arrival to proceed inside, but I must admit, my training kicked in, and it didn't occur to me not to secure the person who was putting bullets into my shoulder."

"Your assistant was helpful and provided me with your background information on the way over," Kennedy said as Kyle disappeared into the house to talk to Cadman, no doubt. Kyle wanted to make sure everything was wrapped up neatly and there were no other surprises. Kennedy pulled out his notebook. "Let's go through the events of the day starting from when you left the Atlantis offices this morning."

John nodded, doing his best to ignore Kyle beyond shooting him a look to stop fussing as he gave a detailed a recounting of his day, from when he first arrived at Atlantis, to the apartment, to Kavanagh, to what had happened here.

By the time he was finished, emergency services was pulling up and the EMT was already eyeing John.

At this point, his shoulder was really starting to ache, and he knew he needed to go have it cleaned out before it got infected.

"I want you to stay in the area," Kennedy said. "I might have more questions for you."

John nodded, and headed over to the EMTs. "Sirs? If you have a moment, I'd appreciate you having a look at this."

"Are you John Sheppard?" one of them asked as the other EMT opened the back of the rig and climbed inside.

Nodding, John leaned against the vehicle. "I am. I took a bullet to the shoulder, although I'm fairly certain I felt it pass through. It is, however, beginning to hurt like hell."

"We'll take care of it, sir. Just step on in." The EMT waved his hand toward the rig.

"Just don't take me anywhere. I'm under instruction from the authorities not to leave without their permission." He hopped up into the ambulance and sat on the folding bed.

"Swing your legs up, sir," the EMT said. 

He had no desire to lay down, but with a sigh, he did as he was told.

He closed his eyes as the two guys moved around the rig. There were some quiet conversations, mostly about mundane things and then he heard Kennedy saying something about the hospital. Moments later, he felt the close presence of the EMT again and then he was getting strapped onto the gurney.

He started to sit up. "What-?"

"Just relax, sir. We're headed to the hospital."

"The hospital? No. I need to stay here."

"We're headed to the hospital, sir," the EMT said and at the same John realized the back doors were closed and they were moving.

"Fuck, no. I need to talk with Officer Kennedy."

"He knows where you'll be," the EMT said, pushing back John's sleeve and starting to clean a spot for an IV. "I'm going to give you some fluids right now and get your settled. The doctors will be able to tell you more once you're in the emergency room."

He rolled his eyes. "I was just shot, for God's sake. It's not that big a deal. I just need an antibiotic to make sure it doesn't get infected, and a clean bandage I haven't bled all over already. I'm fine."

"We'll let the professions determine that, sir," the EMT insisted firmly.

"Look, I've been shot before, plenty of times. It's really not a big deal." And a hospital visit was pretty much guaranteed to get his father's attention. He didn't feel like dealing with the elder Sheppard right now.

The EMT patted his hand and then easily inserted the IV needle. He hung the bag a few beats later. "Now just lie back and relax."

"Fuck me." John let out a breath and fished his phone out of his pocket before he laid back. At least he could check his email.

He had dozens—probably close to a hundred including spam. But he felt his eyes drooping not even five minutes into the ride.

He shot the EMT a glare. "What's in that IV?" He heard himself slurring his speech.

"Just a little something to get you to relax before I start peeling your shirt off. The blood's dried and it's going to hurt like a bitch."

"I didn't consent to being sedated." John hated, with a passion, taking anything that made him feel fuzzy. "I prefer to be in pain." He reached around to tug the shirt loose, hoping the pain would help shake loose the cobwebs the drugs were starting to give him.

"Just relax, sir."

"No. I am highly susceptible to these types of drugs." He hated that he could hear how badly he was slurring now. "Stop the IV now."

The EMT moved and took the phone away from him and easily strapped him down to the gurney, pinning his arms. "Just relax. We'll be there shortly."

"Fuck." John tried to struggle, but the drugs dragged him under, his eyes closing against his will, and staying that way.

He caught snippets of things over the next while. Words and images and sounds. He woke up properly sometime later, propped up in a hospital bed in some non-descript hospital room.

Moaning, he tried to force himself into full alertness and shake loose the fuzziness.

"Sir, how are you doing?" Kyle peered down at him.

"Like shit." John blinked a few times. "How long have I been out and when can I get the hell out of here? I have things I need to be doing."

"It's only been a few hours. The doctors fixed you up and you'll be out first thing in the morning."

"No. I want to be released tonight. I need to talk to Doctor Zelenka to find out what he was able to get off Henderson's computers. I also need you to track down every spec of information on Genii Corp. you can find."

"Tomorrow morning. No arguing. I already have the files once you're actually awake and not just yelling." Kyle held up a thick pile of papers and files.

John shot him a look, and held out his hand for the files. "I'm not yelling, I'm pissed off. I hate being sedated for any reason, especially against my will."

"They had to go in there and it was better you were out cold for it. It'll be good as new." Kyle gave him the stink eye. "Are you finished yelling?"

"I've been awake for worse, so no, it wasn't better that I was out for it." John glared at him. "I won't be done yelling until I'm released, so give me the damn files."

"I can take these back to the hotel."

"I can also fire you."

"Go ahead and see if you last an hour."

John huffed. He was pissed, groggy, and not in the mood. He had a person missing, and his top priority was finding McKay, not sitting around being pampered. Swinging around, he decided he was going to check himself out and get back to work.

"Officer Kennedy is coming to see you in an hour and your father wants to talk to you."

John slowly looked back at Kyle. "You told my father what happened?"

"It's my job, sir."

"Fuck." Running a hand through his hair, John huffed again. "I am seriously having a shitty day, Kyle. McKay’s been in their hands for days already, and I cannot do anything else, including take care of myself, until I know he is safe. He is my responsibility, and I have to find him."

"I know, sir. The police department is working on it. If you sit back, I'll give you what we have on Genii."

Glaring at him, John sat back and held out his hands for the files. "Do we know where they have property? My guess is that, given how badly they fucked McKay up given the amount of blood, they can't have taken him far. I need to know every speck of dirt they claim in a 100 mile radius of the city."

"We're pulling that data now. Doctor Kusanagi is helping us. She's with Atlantis."

"Good. As soon as they have viable intel, I want to hit the ground." He looked at Kyle. "I also want to be armed. I have maintained all of my permits to own and carry firearms, including concealed weapons. In my suite back at my father's house there is a safe that holds my armory. I will give you the combination and a list of what I want from that safe, and I want it here in the next several hours. I don't care what you have to do to accomplish that."

Kyle didn't bat an eye. "Already on its way."

John didn't want to know how Kyle knew about the safe or got the combination, since he didn't have it written down anywhere. "Which pieces?"

"All of them. I wasn't sure which you preferred."

"Good. When they arrive, I want to go through it." John spent the next hour going through the paperwork Kyle had put together on Genii.

It was pretty impressive. They were a rather small firm—from the outside—but the personnel…they were spread all over globe at various smaller research hubs. Most of their patents were older and they were in desperate need of new patents in order to sustain the business. They were desperate for cash and new money.

And apparently, they didn't care how they got them. Instead of financing research, they were apparently financing shady deals to steal information from rival firms. He hated people like this, and he wanted to shut these fuckers down yesterday.

The file on one Acastus Kolya, however, was eye opening. He had military training, special ops and black ops, and was the man to get the job done. He'd worked with Genii's owner, Cowen, for years as his go-to problem solver. There was a list of missing and dead scientists that the authorities wanted to tie to Kolya, but had been unable to do so.

He was a real piece of work, and John was willing to bet it was Kolya who had been waiting in McKay's apartment. John turned his attention to the other missing scientists, looking for patterns that Kolya might have.

Brendan Gall was the most recent. Another astrophysicist. He simply went missing one weekend and had not shown up since. He was a loner and tended to be a workaholic. No one noticed he was actually missing for a week.

Kolya chose his targets well. He knew that geniuses tended to be anti-social, so all the people went missing when the scientist had a few days off, giving him several days, at least, before people would notice. Changing his tactics, John had Kyle get him a map, and he began plotting out the exact locations of all the disappearances. Kolya wouldn't have more than one place equipped to deal with this kind of work, torturing scientists, so his base had to be no more than two days away from every location someone disappeared from.

Unfortunately, his research was interrupted by dinner and Officer Kennedy—and another a harried-looking man clutching a laptop. "Mister Sheppard," Kennedy said, "it's good to see you looking less pale than you were earlier."

John rolled his eyes. "I'd rather be up and about, but my assistant is conspiring with the doctors to keep me here until tomorrow morning. What questions can I answer for you?"

"Your assistant has been very helpful as a liaison and I’m hoping that will continue as you pursue your own leads. In the interest of information sharing, I wanted to bring Doctor Zelenka to see you. He has some information for you I believe you will find interesting."

John sat up, anxious to hear what Zelenka had found. He also quickly filled both men in on his own theories, and what he had been about to start researching.

Kennedy left not long after John finished, his phone ringing on another matter. That left him with the squirrely scientist perched on one of his visitor chairs.

John nodded to him. "Doctor Zelenka. Did you find anything on Henderson's computers?"

Zelenka pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his eyes bright behind the glass. "There was much information, yes. Most he should not have had. It seems he was employed by both Genii and Atlantis at same time."

"Yes. He told me he was hired by Genii for the express purpose of getting into Atlantis and stealing information."

"And yes, he did. McKay is sneaky, paranoid bastard, so Henderson did not get away with much."

"Makes me like him already." John sighed. "I'll want a full report eventually on what he stole and how badly it hurt us, but for now, my top priority is any information that will help me find where Genii is holding McKay."

"I believe I can help with both," Zelenka said, holing up a finger. He pulled over the rolling table and opened up his laptop, letting it boot from slumber. "Miko has been going through logs and files and she has narrowed Genii locations to two in the local area."

John nodded. "Perfect, that definitely makes it easier. Do we have schematics on both buildings?"

"She is working on that," he said, pulling up a map. "They have two locations. Here and here. We believe he is near the location overlooking Pretty Marsh Harbor. It is more remote. We have seen stepped-up security as well." He blushed and ducked his head. "Miko has been…industrious."

"Then I'll have to make sure I meet her later and thank her personally." John studied the information they did have. "I agree with her, it would be a perfect location. Kyle, when will my armory be here?"

"Late tonight," the assistant answered.

"Then, Doctor Zelenka, if at all possible, I'd like to have as much information on this building and the surrounding area that Doctor Kusangi can put together by dawn, if possible. I'll be going in not long after to retrieve our missing scientist and teach Genii that it isn't nice to take what doesn't belong to them."

"She's working as quickly as she can."

"I know, and I'll take whatever she can get. I'm going to get McKay out of that building, if that is where he's being held, tomorrow. He won't spend another night in enemy hands," John announced fiercely.

Miko was good to her word and Zelenka received updated emails from her throughout the night. If John really wanted to guess, she was probably hacking into the Genii servers to get the information and breaking all kinds of laws.

He decided he might love her, too. Hell, at this rate, he might propose to the entire damn company.

"Okay, yes, this looks good," Zelenka said, pulling up her latest email. He skimmed it, finger hovering an inch from the screen as he read. "Basement of the second building near the water. It's a safe room. He has to be there."

John moved where he could see the screen, and had Zelenka superimpose the rest of the schematics they had found, mentally mapping his route into the building. He was going to have to be careful. He didn't have a whole team of other special ops men behind him, and there was no telling how many men Kolya had around to protect the place.

"Yes yes. You see. Here and here is where there are blind spots."

"Then one of those is my target entry point." He studied the plans, and then pointed to one of the spots. "This one, I think, with the other as backup if something seems off when I get there."

"Bates is standing by with his team."

"Bates?" Considering Atlantis personnel were surprising him at every turn, maybe they had a team of former Marines on tap or something.

"Head of security, sir," Kyle said quietly. "Decorated military. Evan Lorne and Aiden Ford are also former Air Force. Cadman is standing by as well."

Despite the situation, John found himself grinning. "If it wasn't illegal, I'd ask to marry every god damn person in this company. You are all seriously awesome."

Zelenka looked up and smiled. "You do not mess with scientists. We will save the world one day."

"Or rule it,” John quipped. “Whichever comes first."

"We try not to think too much of ourselves," Zelenka smirked. "McKay, however, believes sun shines out of his ass."

"Considering that you've managed to get more done than the authorities in several states, and done it in a matter of hours to their year and a half on the case, I think I agree with McKay."

Zelenka looked at his watch and closed his laptop. "You are to sleep. I will send Lorne back to get you when team is ready."

John nodded. He knew he needed to get at least a few hours of sleep if he was going to be any good tomorrow. "If you wouldn't mind sending Bates, or Lorne, or whomever is in charge of the strike team the information we put together, I'd appreciate it. I'll also want at least an hour to brief with them in the morning before we get into place."

"Sir, we'll take care of it," Kyle said as Zelenka rose to his feet, stretching.

"Thank you, both of you. Get some rest tonight as well, and I'll see you in the morning."

Zelenka headed out, but Kyle stood next to the bed, scowling down at him. "Any reason you didn't call your father?"

"Because I don't want to talk to him right now?" John suggested.

Kyle nodded. "Okay. Get some sleep."

John nodded, and rolled over. Despite the ache in his arm, he fell asleep quickly, and woke up, according to the clock nearby, a few hours later. Since there was no one there to stop him this time, he swung out of bed and used the tiny bathroom to take care of business and get a quick shower.

He felt better after the shower, the water warming him from the outside in.

Getting out, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and went out to see if Kyle had thought to have clean clothes for him, or if he was going to withhold them until the doctors officially discharged him.

Instead of Kyle, however, there was a well-muscled man with sandy brown hair waiting for him. He was dressed in black fatigues and boots. "John Sheppard?"

Raising an eyebrow, John sauntered out, checking the guy out and not pretending otherwise. He was pretty hot. "I don't think it's my birthday, and even if it was, I don't know anyone who would send me someone like you as a present, sadly. So you have me at a bit of a disadvantage here."

The man didn't bat an eye. "I won't offer to shake your hand since you're apparently my new boss and this is not the best way to make a first impression. Evan Lorne. I'm in your security division."

"Damn. Not only does Atlantis employ smart people, they also employ sexy people. I should have asked to take over this division a long time ago." John shook his head. "All right, I'm assuming you've had a chance to read up on the information Doctor Zelenka put together?"

"I have," he said with a nod. "You may want to put on pants before we have this conversation."

John smirked at him. "If I had pants, trust me, I would. However, my assistant is holding them hostage to ensure I don't leave until the doctors officially release me. Unfortunately, he knows me too well."

Lorne pointed toward one of the visitor chairs. "I think those are yours."

"Ah ha. Sneaky bastard snuck in while I was showering. Excellent. Odds are good then, that my personal armory is here as well. All right, while I get dressed, if you wouldn't mind briefing me on what kind of team I have at my disposal today. Names, specialties, etc."

"I can step out—"

John waved a hand to stop him, but took pity on the man and stepped into the bathroom before he dropped his towel, although he didn't close the door. "I'd like to get going ASAP, and I don't want to waste time over modesty. Yours or mine."

"There are some things that should remain private between a boss and his employees, sir."

"Yeah, I rarely observe that rule, much to my father's irritation." John chuckled, but quickly got dressed before heading back out into the main room.

Lorne had opened up a set of plans on the bed detailing the terrain and the compound. A red "X" marked the most likely location of their package. "Sir, we've had time to analyze their guard patterns and their internal systems. In two hours, Miko is going to shut down all of their security cameras and computer systems. They will be able to get them back online, but we'll have fifteen minutes to get in and out."

"Perfect." John leaned in and examined the plans. "How many people do we have?"

"Markham. Stackhouse. Bates. Cadman. Ford. You and me. Seven. Bates would rather you weren't on the team because of your injury—and the fact that you own the company—but we know you're not going to sit this out."

"Yeah, not going to happen. I've been into worse situations, with fewer people, and with a worse injury." John's thoughts darkened for a moment, remembering, but he shoved it aside. He could deal with his baggage another time. "Specialties? I know Cadman is explosives. What else do we have?"

"Ford is trained as a sniper and in demolitions as well. The rest have general military training, with some special forces training."

"Excellent. I think I might have won the small army lottery." John looked at the plans again. "All right, when—Miko you said?—cuts the power, myself and three others are going to go in this main entry point. The other three are going in the secondary point. Our primary target for both teams is Doctor McKay, but any other hostages we find are to be freed, and if Acastus Kolya is found, he is to be taken into custody using whatever force is deemed necessary."

"Sir, Bates has his strategy set up already and I'm teamed with you."

John sighed. He had to remember he was coming in to an already established team, and wasn't the team leader. "To keep me out of his way?" John raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me he has bothered to actually find something out about me, and isn't just assuming I'm a pretty playboy who wants to be a hero."

Lorne's jaw tightened. "We've been assigned to watch the team's six at the drop point."

"Yeah, not going to happen." John sighed. "All right, where is Bates now?"

"Getting ready for deployment."

"Good." John didn't waste any time. It didn't take him long to gather up Kyle, check out of the hospital and arm himself from his personal collection waiting in the truck—and enjoying the way Lorne's eyes bugged out a bit as he watched—then getting to the range where Bates was getting ready. On the way, John had discovered there was a shooting range there. Perfect. On arrival, he strolled right up to the one who was pointed out to him as Bates. "Come with me please, for a moment, Mister Bates." without waiting for a reply, John headed for the range.

"Sir, we're about ready to head out. We don't have time for this."

"Mister Bates, I think, even though we hadn't met yet, that we got off on the wrong foot. I think you assume some things about me, and I need to get this out of the way so we can successfully work together." As he talked, John moved to one of the stations at the range and pulled out every one of his weapons, all armed, and lined them up. He picked up the first one, and shot all the rounds before setting it down. Every one of them was a perfect headshot, collectively making only a small hole on the distant target.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, I have not always worked for my father. In fact, I served most of my adult career in the military. The US Air Force to be exact." John picked up the second gun, and did the same thing he had with the first—not even enlarging the hole on the target from his first gun. "While in the Air Force, I was trained in a variety of weapons and activities, one of which happens to be extensive training in assassination and kidnapping. Both doing them, and rescuing people from others who were trying to engage in those activities." 

He emptied the third gun. "I led a team of twenty elite men for several years who were sent in to extract people from situations that were less optimistic than this one. And not once have I ever failed to bring my target home." He picked up and emptied the final gun. The hole in the target was still only the size of a small fist. Looking over at Bates, he narrowed his eyes. "So I think you can understand my irritation at finding out you plan to have me sit around and wait. I probably have more experience at this specific type of situation than your entire team combined, and a good commander never assumes anything about the men he commands in battle. The fact that you didn't bother to find anything out about me irritates me, and I want to make sure we understand each other before we leave, because issues like this are what get people killed, and I will not tolerate that on my watch."

Bates' expression had stayed pretty neutral throughout John's demonstration, but his color dropped as John proved his point over and over again. "Sir, plans have been made and the teams briefed."

"Lorne explained your plans, and, frankly, you're going to get someone on our side killed." John sighed and finally looked the man in the eye. "I'm not trying to be an ass, which is why I asked you to join me here alone instead of doing this in front of your team. I understand that in the field there can only be one person in charge. However, the plan you have in place will be shot to hell in the first thirty seconds, and putting all of your people into one entry point is asking for a slaughter. Will you let me show you, in here, privately, what I would suggest? I don't care who gets credit for a plan, as long as everyone comes home alive."

"I would be much happier if you were to just simply remain with Lorne. Things will go smoothly."

"No, they won't, Bates." John argued. "They will go to hell in the first five minutes, and people will be dead. I spent several years training for this exact situation and I am the best at what I do." Looking away, John stared down the range. "The only reason I'm here working for my father and not the US Military is because I refuse to leave anyone behind, and it doesn't matter how many stars the man who is screaming retreat orders into my radio has on his collar. And because I am the best at what I do, I was given an honorable discharge for refusing to leave my people behind, instead of the far harsher penalties the general in question wanted to levy against me. I care more about keeping the people under my command alive than I do following orders. So the question remains, Bates, do you care more about saving face and looking good, or do you care more about keeping your people alive. Because in this particular case, if you follow through on your plan, your people will be killed."

"Respectfully, sir, I disagree."

John shook his head. He knew he could make an enemy of this man if he pushed things, and he couldn't afford that. Drawing his mouth into a thin line, he knew he would be forced to rush in to save the day, and he prayed he could prevent anyone from getting killed. This was stupid, and he hated stupid people. But alienating Atlantis wasn't a good move either. "Fine. When your plan goes to shit though, I give you fair warning now that I won't sit back and watch people die. I will be in there fixing the shit you caused."

"My plan will not, as you say, go to shit," he said, distain dripping from the last word. "And any deviation from this mission from anyone will result in a loss of life. Do you understand?"

"I'm not under your command, Bates. Remember that." John had been reloading his weapons as he talked, and he holstered them now, turning and leaving the room without giving Bates another chance to respond.

"On this mission, you are," he said, his voice loud enough to carry down toward the rest of the team who were waiting on them.

John ignored him. He would stay back—until Bates started getting people hurt. Then he would shoot the man himself if he had to, in order to keep people alive.

"If I don't get acknowledgement, I'll ground your ass. Do you understand, Sheppard?"

John glanced back and gave the other man a wolfish smile. "You work for me, Bates. I could just fire you now and take command of this operation, and I don't need your permission to do it. Keep that in mind. I follow orders on my own terms, not yours."

"I take my orders from Doctor Weir and until she tells me otherwise, I'm in command of this mission and in charge of Atlantis' security."

“Doctor Weir works for me as well, Bates. I respect her and the rest of Atlantis—with the exception of you at the moment—too much to press the issue. Don’t force me to embarrass you, Bates, because I will do it. I am not happy about allowing this to continue, but I won’t prevent these people from following you, despite my belief that you are throwing their lives away in a misguided attempt to prove you’re top dog. I despise people who put their own agendas over the lives of the men and women who work under them, and right now, that is exactly what you are doing. I won’t stop you right now, but if you decide to continue to press this issue, I will end this, and you won’t be happy about the outcome. Don’t force my hand.” 

He was aware that, because he had been leaving and had opened the door, the rest of the team was now listening. He looked over at the rest of them, sighing to himself. "For the record, since Mister Bates has decided not to let things lie where they were, I was pointing out to him my extensive training in the US Air Force for situations exactly like this. I, in fact, led an elite team whose only job it was to extract hostages from hostile situations for several years. I was trying, in private, to show Mister Bates the flaws I saw in his plan, because he is going to get some of you killed doing it his way. However, he has chosen not to listen to me, and I won't stop him from starting this farce of a plan, but I will make it clear now that I do not leave people behind nor do I suffer lives to be wasted. If his plan works, fine. But if his plan starts to get you all shot, I will be taking whatever action I feel is necessary to keep you alive."

While the majority of people looked a little shell-shocked at the exchange, Lorne and Cadman had an entirely different expression—more like resignation and anger, but not directed at John. It was aimed at Bates. Interesting.

"Sheppard, you're out of this mission. I can't trust you to follow instructions. Lorne, I want you with Cadman on our six. Everything else will stay as planned," Bates said, moving toward the door. 

"Sadly for you, I don't take orders from you, Bates." John leaned against the wall. "As I said, I won't stop these people from following you if they want to let you risk their lives, but you have no authority over me, in any capacity. So I'll be staying right here, ready to step in and save the people you put at risk."

"Yes, you will be staying right here," Bates said, turning to the rest of the team. "We're moving out in five to entry point three. Make sure he doesn't get in a vehicle."

John smirked. "You going to tell them that the man you're trying to get rid of just put nearly one hundred bullets from several different guns into a grouping so small you can't put your hand through it, Bates? No idea why they would want someone who, with the exception of Mister Ford over there who I'm told is an excellent sharpshooter, is probably one of the best shots in this room covering them. No idea at all."

Bates ignored him, moving to the staging area where the weapons were laid out. Lorne looked like he was going to say something, but held back, his lips a tight, thin line.

John glanced over at Kyle, who had been standing in the background. "Make sure Doctor Weir gets a full account of what's going on here. No matter what happens, she needs to know how inflexible her head of security is, and how willing he is to throw away the lives of her people. And make sure my car is ready to go. No matter what Bates wants, I'm not sitting around waiting to hear how many of these people he got killed."

"Of course, sir," Kyle said quietly.

"Tell me, why are people so quick to throw away the lives of others?" John sighed. "And why do I keep having the misfortune of being the one who has to either ruin my own relationships and career to save those lives, or sit back and watch it happen?"

"Just…sir," Kyle said with a sigh. "If you're unhappy just get it done. He lost McKay on his watch. This is about pride more than expertise."

"I know it is, and that's what pisses me off. But at the same time, they are still following him. This isn't the military. They could put their guns down and demand to know what I was talking about, ask to see the flaws, even ask for new leadership. They might have all been military once, but they are civilians now, and it's their choice. I can't sit by and watch them die without trying to save them. That's my choice. But I won't come in and arbitrarily try to force the rest of the team to choose me over Bates. For an operation like this, they can't be divided, some following one leader, and others following someone else. If I tried to force that, they would all be killed, instead of just some of them."

Bates continued to get ready, but the rest of the team was still standing there unsure and waiting. They were running out of time.

John sighed. He looked them over, and knew he couldn't let these people die. "All right people, I'm not going to order you anywhere, or force your hands. I am going to the drop point I believe will be more effective than the frontal assault Mister Bates has planned. Mister Lorne knows the location, since I outlined my ideas with him before coming here. I will welcome anyone who wants to join me, but I won't hold it against anyone who doesn't. My goal is to get McKay out of there, and to do so while keeping everyone alive. If you choose to join me, I'll assign roles and we'll go in. If you choose not to, I'll go in my way alone, and with luck we'll all meet up at McKay's cell and have a party or something. Good luck to all." He turned and headed out to his car.

Bates turned, narrowing his eyes. "I thought I was clear. You're not going."

"And I thought I was clear, Mister Bates. You can't stop me." John walked outside and opened the door to his car and stepped in, shutting the door behind him.

Bates followed, gesturing to one of his men to head to a car. He watched and waiting, wondering what Bates was going to pull. Bates walked over to him, waving his hand to get John to roll down his window. "Just so you know, Sheppard. We've missed the window of opportunity we had because of your hissy fit in there. The mission's off." A few moments later, the rest of the team walked out—empty handed heading for their respective cars as well. "We'll handle things from here on out. You can feel free to head back to California where you came from."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'm still going in, Bates. It's not my fault you decided to drag this out. However, I still won't be leaving McKay in enemy hands for another night. I'll be having a long conversation with Doctor Weir tomorrow about your performance here, and she and I will discuss whether you will continue to be employed by my company. Now, I have a rescue to take care of, so goodbye." He rolled up his window and motioned for the driver to head out.

"Sir, you can't do this alone," Kyle said, refusing to move. "It's insane."

"Kyle, I have done this before, more than once. It is easier, sometimes, to get one man in than a whole team. And I'm still here to tell the story."

"Sir. No. Not alone," the assistant pleaded.

"Not your call, Kyle,” John snapped. “And I'm not in the mood to argue with you, especially not here, in front of Mister Bates."

Kyle sighed and it looked like he was going to say something else, but Cadman and Lorne approached the car. "Have room for two, sir?"

John gestured for them to get in. "More the merrier. I'm sorry this had to be an issue. We should have already been in place. The important person here is McKay and his safety, and unfortunately, that's been forgotten."

Lorne moved to the other rear door, but Cadman walked over to the driver's side. "I'll drive. I don't think your assistant is rated for this."

John nodded, grinning, and happy when Kyle moved to the passenger side. He shouldn't be here, and if John knew of a way to do it, he'd send the man away. "Do you have weapons, or did Bates take inventory before you walked out? If so, I have a selection in the trunk."

Lorne opened the door and leaned in. "Give me two minutes to get them. Can I borrow your assistant?"

"Of course. Kyle, please help Mister Lorne out, if you wouldn't mind." John grabbed the map of the target area from the back of the seat where he had stowed it earlier. Cadman, I already showed this to Lorne, but let me go over it with you, and see if you have any suggestions."

"He went over it with me, sir. And your assistant will be staying here."

"If you can make him stay here, thank god. I tried ordering him to leave, but he rolled his eyes at me," John complained.

"Evan is pretty persuasive." And sure enough, a few beats later, Lorne appeared, weapons in hand and an EMT medical kit slung over his shoulder.

John didn't question it, just glad there was one less person to worry about. As soon as Lorne was in the car, John looked at his map again. "All right, with only three of us, the plan changes slightly. We'll go in to the same entry point, but I'll take point. Cadman, I hope you have more of that C4, because before we get to that point, I'd like you to rig an explosion at the secondary point, to go off when we're ready to go in. It will create enough of a distraction to give us some breathing room."

Cadman nodded, but Lorne spoke up. "I think we should go in through the basement entrance instead." He tapped the map. "It's more direct and we're going to be short on time as it is. We can access the property through a dirt road that will put us about twenty yards from that back wall."

John examined the area Lorne had pointed out. "I originally discounted it because of these towers, and the assumption that if he has them, Kolya will have snipers in them. The original location isn't in direct line of sight of any of the towers. I agree it's shorter, but do you think you can get us in without being spotted?"

"I do. At last count, there are only five guards on property."

"Really? That makes it easier then. We'll still go in planned for an army, but hoping for less. Actually, if you can get me a good vantage, and there are only five, I can probably take out the perimeter guards before we even go in. I have a sniper rifle in the trunk."

"Bates staked out the property and did a headcount. The one smart thing he did today," Lorne said, adding the last sentence as an afterthought.

Rolling his eyes, John sighed. "If I had known how inflexible he was going to be, I would have handled that differently."

"He's not a bad guy, but he can be a dick about things," Evan grinned.

"I saw that. This wasn't the time, however, to decide to make a stand." John shook his head. "But I can deal with that later. Right now, I just want to get in and get McKay out. Let's see if our own headcount coincides with Bates', and that nothing has changed. I'll take out the guards while Cadman rigs up some diversions. Lorne, while we do that, do your best to get a feel for the area. Since I'll be busy, you'll take point on getting into the building. Cadman, I'd like you to have some C4 ready to go inside as well. If we're lucky, McKay will be held on a wall we can blow out once we get him, and leave that way, instead of going back through the halls."

"I agree. From Miko's research, she is fairly certain he's along this wall here." Lorne pointed to a wall on the outside, on the shore side. Steps from their entry point. "I don’t want to go right into the room since we can't get a fix on the exact layout."

"Good call,” John nodded. “If that's the case, it will make our lives easier. And if Cadman's distractions work, we might be able to get him out before anyone realizes what we're doing."

"Oh, they'll know," Cadman grinned from the front seat as she started the car. "But we'll take care of them."

John's smile was, he knew, not very nice. "I'm counting on it. I don't like people who see human beings as assets to be exploited."

"ETA is fifteen," Cadman announced.

"Good. Let's be ready to move fast. If we can get in and out in under an hour, I'll be a happy man."


	4. Chapter 4

The fifteen-minute drive seemed more like an hour and the sun was starting to threaten on the horizon. They were later than he wanted. While John knew there was nothing he could do about that now, he had to hope his tiny strike team was small and mobile enough to get in and out before Kolya or his men knew something was wrong. That was going to be their best scenario.

Cadman parked on the side of the road, shutting the car off. John could see the building just beyond the tree line.

Getting out, he opened the trunk and pulled out his sniper rifle. He prepped it and gestured for the other two to help themselves to whatever they wanted.

They loaded up, Cadman leaning toward the C4 while Lorne stuck with the guns. His eyes scanned the building. "I don't see anyone."

"Doesn't mean they aren't there." John muttered, checking the rest of his weapons, and then closed the trunk. "Let's do a quick reconnaissance and see if our initial plan is still good. I'd rather make adjustments now than be surprised later."

"Five minutes?" Lorne suggested.

"Yes."

"Meet you back here in five." Lorne was off, blending into the shrubbery.

John took his own quick trip, moving in close enough to use the scope on his rifle, trying to identify all of the outside guards. He spotted one, high up surveying the property. Lorne and Cadman returned in five—as promised—and reported the same. Four guards were inside in addition to other personnel.

"All right, can either of you give me a reason why we shouldn't proceed as planned? See anything I missed?" John asked seriously, eyeing each member of the team.

"No,” Lorne replied, answering for both of them. “We're ready to go."

"All right. Cadman, you have thirty minutes to set the diversions. I'll be taking out the guards at the same time. Lorne, keep watch, and let me know if anyone seems close to spotting Cadman while she works, so I can focus on them first.

Lorne nodded and Cadman was off, heading to the first of the diversion points.

John moved into position himself and took out the guard patrolling the outside. By the time Cadman returned, there was no one left outside to see them move to the door they had marked as the entry point. Once they were there, he nodded to her to blow the charges on the other side of the building.

"Fires in the hole, sir," she cried with a wicked grin. "They're going to be in for a surprise."

"My favorite kind of surprise." John smiled, and as soon as they heard the explosions, they waited a beat, and then Lorne muscled the door open and moved inside, John and Cadman right behind him.

They took out two men as soon as they were through, moving quickly down the hall. One more was standing outside the door to the room they suspected McKay was being held in. He went down even before he had the chance to utter a word.

John moved to the door, kicking it open and moving inside, scanning for occupants.

The odor hit him first—urine and shit—making his eyes water. There was someone huddled in the corner on the floor, curled in on themselves. John heard another shot ring out just outside the room. Cadman was already on the outside wall clearing their exit.

John nodded to Lorne to watch his six, and John put his gun down and knelt next to the figure. "Doctor McKay?"

The man lifted his head slowly, his eyes finding it difficult to focus on John's face. There were bruises along his jaw, dark circles under his eyes, and John thought he spotted bruises in the shape of finger marks on his neck. It was hard to tell much past the dirt.

His anger at the people that had done this escalated by untold degrees. John damped it down for now though. He could deal with that later. "My name is John and I'm here to take you home."

"Just let me die," came the whispered words as McKay's head dropped back down onto his upraised knees.

"I can't do that” John insisted. “Come on, we're going to get you out, and get you some medical help. Then I might have you make me a list of all the people I need to come back and kill really hard for you." Gently, John took the man's arm and got him standing. "If you can't walk, I can carry you. Which would you prefer?"

McKay offered no resistance to being moved, but John could hear the soft moans of pain he uttered with every shift of his body. Lorne hovered at the door, keeping an eye out as Cadman laid the last charge. 

"Ready to blow this joint?" Her eyes drifted to McKay and John could see the concern and worry and anger flare up.

"He's been hurt badly, so we'll need to move slowly for him. Clear us a path forward."

"Take cover," she ordered as she moved toward them, offering her body as protection. "Count of three." The blast was much quieter than John anticipated. She'd gone for a surgical extraction, blowing out a doorway for them.

John used his own body to shield McKay, staying by his side as they headed outside. "Lorne, Cadman, my attention is going to be on McKay, so you have point and six. Yell if something needs me before we get to the car."

He got verbal acknowledgements even as he heard Lorne take several shots. "Go, sir."

Carefully, John took McKay's elbow and led him forward, trying to make sure he was protecting the other man from as much as he could. Kolya was going to pay dearly for this. McKay would be the last man he tortured like this.

Halfway to the car, McKay's legs started to give out and John caught him before he went down. All the man said was a whispered "Sorry, sorry, sorry" as John propped him back up on his feet. He wrapped an arm around McKay's waist and slung his arm over his back.

"Don't be sorry. This is not your fault, at all. The people who took you will be found and punished, I promise you that. I will keep you safe. You have my word. We're going to get you to someone who can take care of your injuries and I'm going to make sure you have a very large, well-armed and mean guard by your side at all times until they are all somewhere they can't hurt you anymore." This man triggered every protective instinct John had. He knew there was, literally, nothing he would not do to protect him now.

Cadman had the back door open to John's borrowed town car—not the best vehicle for the job, but it would work. The medical kit was on the floor already.

John helped McKay inside, then followed him, grabbing the kit and immediately, gently, started some basic field first aid, trusting Lorne and Cadman to get them to the best medical care in the area.

Cadman was in the driver's seat moments later, starting the car even as Lorne approached. McKay's eyes rolled back in his head as soon as John started trying to clean off his face.

"We good to go?" Cadman asked, looking back at them.

"Wherever the best doctors are in the area, that's where we need to be, now." Carefully, John continued to wipe at the dirt on McKay's face. He studied the face, noting the features, but he had a feeling that they would be far different when the man was up and himself, given what he had been told about the personality behind the face. There was vulnerability there right now that just pissed John off even more. Kolya had a lot to answer for. And while he hadn't ever been much for religion, John found himself saying a quick prayer that McKay hadn't been broken yet. That he might be a bit bruised, inside and out, but that the spirit that had been the first thing anyone who spoke of him noted, had not been destroyed.

"Carson. He's the best and he's also a friend of McKay's. It would be best." Cadman stepped on it as soon as Lorne was inside.

"Lorne, my phone is in the glove box. If you wouldn't mind calling this Carson and letting him know we're coming and to prep, I'd appreciate it."

"I sent him a text already," Cadman said. "He knows we're coming."

"Good, thank you." John continued to clean McKay's face until they arrived. It was pointless, he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

There was blood on his clothing—or what had been his clothing. A tattered grey-tinged bandage wrapped around his right forearm, but John could see knife marks on his left arm. Repeated knife marks. One was deep enough that the movement to the car had set it oozing again.

Using the med kit, John did his best to clean it out a little, and wrap a new bandage around it. All while doing his best not to let his rising anger get out of hand. He had to keep telling himself it was not the time or place. Get McKay safe first. Then deal with Kolya.

They pulled up at a ranch-style house and John saw someone hovering at the front door. The man rushed out as soon as the car pulled in. He was average height with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Is that Carson?" John looked up at Lorne and Cadman, unwilling to release McKay until he knew for sure the man would be safe.

"Yes," Cadman said, shutting the car off and leaping out. A few quick and quiet words and then Carson was opening the rear door. 

Between them, they managed to get McKay into Carson's home and into a bed that had been prepared. As soon as that was done, he was kicked out, along with Lorne and Cadman. Getting their attention, he sighed. "We can't leave this place unguarded until Kolya and his men are caught. You know the people in your organization better than I do. Can you set up a twenty-four hour guard on this building, with a two-man team on at all times?"

Lorne nodded. "We'll have to pull in Bates."

"Not my first choice, right now,” John ground out. “Is there any way to do it without him? I'll be taking a shift as well, so you don't need the body."

"He takes care of Atlantis security." Lorne shrugged. "Unless he's not in charge of that anymore."

John nodded. "I'll let you know. For now, are you two up for staying here while I go have a chat with Weir? I don't want to fire her people without talking to her first, no matter how big of an ass I think Bates is."

"We can stay. It's not a problem."

"Thanks." John found a piece of paper and scribbled his personal cell number on it. "Call me if you need anything before I get back."

"Are you okay driving back?"

"I'll be fine. I'll be back soon." John ignored the twinge in his shoulder that told him he would, at some point, probably have to have his own bandages changed. He felt the slight ooze that told him something had broken open.

He was grateful there was a GPS in the car, so he plugged in the Atlantis Corp address via the staging point where Kyle was waiting and headed out. The ride let him sort his thoughts.

He pulled into the staging area, and was glad to see Kyle waiting for him. It meant he didn't have to go looking for the other man.

Kyle looked surprised to see him behind the wheel and headed directly for the driver's side, but John rolled down his window, sending him to the passenger side. "Sir. I shouldn't."

"Just get in, Kyle." John rolled his eyes. "I do know how to drive."

"That's what I worry about," he huffed, but walked around the car, sliding in. "Everything go as planned?"

"Yes. McKay is safely in the hands of a doctor Cadman and Lorne trust, and they're staying to make sure he stays safe. We're heading to Atlantis to talk to Weir, since we need to set up a round the clock guard for McKay, which, at the moment, requires going through Bates. Before I decide anything, I need to talk to her about what happened here. Have you connected to her as I asked?"

"She's waiting for you at Atlantis and was…concerned," Kyle told him anxiously.

John cut his eyes over. "Concerned about me, or about Bates?"

"Bates. He's not usually like that…according to Weir."

"How many times has anyone challenged him, though?” John questioned. “I'd be curious if he's had situations where his authority and ability was called into question before. If he has, and has reacted differently, then something is wrong. If she's never seen it because he's never been put in that position before, though, that's something different."

"We didn't go into details," Kyle admitted, buckling himself in as John pulled out. "And you took him to Carson Beckett?"

"Yes. Weir mentioned him?"

Kyle nodded. "He's a genetics expert, Atlantis employee, and a friend of McKay's."

"Good, then he's hopefully the right man to help him. McKay is... not in good shape." John clenched his jaw.

"That bad?"

"Worse. And that's just what I could see on a basic visual inspection. There's no telling how broken his mind is."

"We need to know what the damage is."

"Yes, with luck, this Carson Beckett will be able to give us a better idea once he's had the time to find and treat all the injuries."

Kyle nodded, but John knew he was already thinking about damage control. It was his job, but it still annoyed him.

John lost himself in his own thoughts until they pulled up at Atlantis. Parking the car, he headed in for Weir's office.

She was waiting, a mug cradled in her hand. She stood as soon as he walked in the door. "Mister Sheppard, how is he?"

Sighing, John dropped into a guest chair. He was suddenly exhausted. "Bad. I'd guess he's been tortured since pretty much the moment he was grabbed. Your Carson Beckett is tending to his physical injuries. I just hope he wasn't damaged too badly emotionally. Any man can be broken, given time and the right methods. I pray they didn't get a chance to do more than start the process."

She paled and slumped into her desk chair. "That…I didn't think…"

Impassive, John described the cell they had found McKay in, and all the injuries, in his limited inspection, he had been able to see. "And your Bates was ready to walk away and leave him there for another day, if not more."

"The Genii have never been like this. I never thought they would do something like this."

"They've been like this for a while now." John filled her in on the research he had done the night before, and his suspicions that McKay wasn't the first scientist that had been taken—just the first who happened to have a former military team who cared enough to take matters into their own hands.

She sighed and looked down at her hands. "They've made…several inquiries over the past three months."

"Which was probably a distraction while Henderson tried to steal the data they wanted,” John explained angrily. “They don't want partners; they want to take what they want. And, not to harp on about it, your head of security has failed, miserably, on every front to prevent it. He's allowed spies to steal sensitive data, multiple breaches of security that still haven't been sealed, and today he was ready and willing to throw the lives of your people away in a bid to prove he was right. I took two people in and got McKay out with no loss of life on our end. I didn’t keep count on the other side. Bates wanted a full frontal assault that would have been... bad. Doctor Weir, I would have fired him long before this, but most definitely this morning, at his blatant incompetence. I didn't because I respect you too much to make those decisions without you. But we need to decide on what to do with Bates, because, frankly, that kind of insubordination can't stand. It would only be a matter of time before it spread, and you will lose control of this company, if the spies he lets waltz in don't steal it from you first."

"Eugene set up all the security protocols and updated them a few months ago, just before Henderson started."

"Frankly, I'm a suspicious man,” John admitted. “Knowing that, my first thought is that he was working with Henderson and changed things to make it easier for him to get in, and move around within Atlantis."

Weir nodded. "When your assistant called me that was my first thought." She looked up. "I…I don't know how I missed it."

He gave her a softer smile. "Because you aren't trained to distrust people in general. If you want my advice, Bates should be fired, immediately, and all the protocols throughout the entire company re-evaluated and re-written."

She sighed and nodded. "I'll step down immediately, as well."

That made him raise both eyebrows. "Why the hell would you do that? If you're feeling guilty for missing Bates, stop. It was a mistake, but we all make them. Now you know what to look for in men like him and Henderson, so it will make you better at your job. You're respected here, and, frankly, needed. I won't accept your resignation."

Her mouth formed a thin line, but she didn't argue. "I think you need to do what you think is right. This is your company."

He grinned at her. "Under independent operation, by you, remember. I'm just here to help smooth your way, negotiate deals, purchase technology, kill terrorists, you know, the usual."

She gave him a pale smile that matched her complexion. "It's been quite an interesting a few days."

"That it has." John ran a hand through his hair. "Right now, McKay's recovery and getting security fixed are the top priorities. I'd suggest handling Bates however you usually handle terminations, then appoint a temporary head of security. I'd like to set up around-the-clock guard on McKay, and you'll need someone to start going through the protocols to determine how bad and how deep things go."

She waved her hand at him. "Whatever you think is best."

"Lorne. He and Cadman are both reliable and I trust them. I also trust them to know whom to trust, if that makes sense. Neither of them was happy with Bates, which is why they followed me instead. I'll put this in his hands, and then we can meet with him in a few days to hear what he's found, and make decisions from there."

"He's been making noise about some of the new procedures," Weir commented thoughtfully.

"Even better. He won’t have to start from scratch. I'll call him now and inform him of his promotion, if you want to handle Bates. Frankly, I don't trust myself to be professional around the man right now, and I am still armed. I'm also exhausted, which isn't a good combination. When we're done, I'm going to head to the hotel and get some sleep."

"Of course. I'll call Eugene immediately."

"You have my cell if you need me before tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll be back in the morning after I check on McKay. I plan to add myself to his security detail once I've gotten some rest."

"You mean later today?"

He shook his head. "I know I'm at the end of my energy for today. Between being shot and the adrenaline of the rescue, I'm going to need to sleep sooner rather than later. When I leave here, my plan is to pass out for the rest of today and tonight."

"I won't bother you then," she said, rising to her feet. "Thank you for doing what you did. It was above and beyond anything I could have hoped for and I apologize again, for not taking care of this myself."

He rose, and gave her another open smile. "Stop beating yourself up. It happens, we learn from it, and we move on. It's all we can do. And I was just doing my own job. I protect my people, from anything and everything that threatens them. Call if you need me, and if not, I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning."

She let him go without another word.

On his way to the car, he met up with Kyle and had him dial Lorne, giving the man the news of his promotion, and what John needed from him. Fortunately, Lorne didn't argue, so John had Kyle head back to the hotel. He was looking forward to a light meal and his bed. What he wasn't expecting, however, were the guests in his sitting room as he walked in the door.

Carson, Cadman, and Lorne were sprawled across his cottage living room.

John raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I leave you all at Beckett's house? Where is McKay? How is he doing?"

Carson stood, extending his hand. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Doctor Carson Beckett. John Sheppard?"

John took his hand. "The same. I figured you had more important matters to attend to when I saw you last."

"Aye," he said with a tired smile. "The lad is settled in one of your spare rooms. We let ourselves in thanks to the key your assistant was nice enough to provide Evan earlier."

John glanced over at Kyle. "Not that I mind, but I didn't know he did that. Why here instead of your house, if you don't mind my asking."

"That was my fault," Lorne owned up, lifting a hand. "I wanted somewhere new and safe. Carson's house, while nice, was still a known quantity—and is probably already on the Genii's radar. Your hotel, however, is not."

"Good thinking." John gave him a tired smile. "And help yourselves to whatever you need."

"We were hoping we could borrow Kyle to get some necessities," Lorne added.

"If he doesn't mind, I don't,” John allowed. “I plan to take a quick shower and pass out for a while."

"That's fine, sir. I'll get whatever they need."

John waved a hand to them. "If you'll all excuse me then, I'll see you when I wake up later."

After spending a few minutes cleaning up, John dropped into bed and fell asleep nearly as soon as his head hit the pillow. The smell of bacon finally pulled him from his slumber and he eyed the clock, noting it was mid-afternoon.

With a soft moan, John rose and checked his shoulder again. He peeled off the tee shirt he hadn't bothered with earlier, and saw that he had been bleeding. Grimacing, he decided to see if Beckett had any supplies with him before peeling the bandages off.

The cottage was quiet as he wandered down the stairs to the main floor. Lorne was cooking and chatting easily with Cadman and Kyle.

"Hey, Doctor Beckett around anywhere? And barring that, do we have a field med kit handy? I want to strip this bandage off and put on a clean one. Then I'm really hoping there's enough bacon for me to steal a few pieces."

"He's in checking on McKay," Cadman told him. "He has a full kit so it shouldn't be a problem. Want me to walk you back there?"

"Nah, let him finish what he's doing. My shoulder can wait." John sat down at the table.

"He's been in there more than out. He's likely just sitting there, keeping him company. Go." Cadman shooed him away.

John shrugged, then winced as it pulled at the wound. "McKay needs him far more than I do. I can wait." He glanced at Kyle. "I suppose my father is still trying to get hold of me?"

"I've put him off, but yes," Kyle said. "He wasn't…happy."

John sighed. "Get him on the phone. I might as well get this over with now. I'm half surprised he hasn't flown in to ream me out personally."

"He's in China, currently," Kyle informed him with a smile.

John brightened at that. "I got lucky then. Try to get him on the phone, and if he's sleeping, then at least he can't be pissed that I'm not calling him back."

"Of course, sir," Kyle rose to his feet and retrieved a cell phone. While Kyle made the call, John watched Lorne as he cooked, managing to steal a piece of bacon before Kyle handed over the phone.

"Dad?"

"Are you done with your hair-brained schemes?" Patrick’s voice boomed over the line.

"Nice to talk to you too, Dad. How's China?"

"The same as it was six months ago. Well? Are you done playing hero?"

John sighed. "We extracted McKay from the facility where he was being held and tortured. He's getting medical care now. I've started the process of revamping security, but that will take some time."

"Plug the leak,” John’s father commanded. ”And McKay? He works for us?"

"Yes. He was kidnapped and tortured for several days. He was in bad shape when I found him. He's the head of R&D, and behind most of the brilliant ideas Atlantis has had lately."

"They haven't produced anything in the last six months. So I have this McKay to blame for that? Serves himself right for getting himself messed up with the wrong crowd. Fire him and hire someone who can produce. And plug that leak."

"Dad, just the opposite. Atlantis has had more progress in the last six months since he joined than the entire year prior. I have the main source of the leak taken care of, and I'm working through the system to make sure there aren't any more." He rolled his eyes, shrugging at Lorne and Cadman, who were watching him. He held his hand up and made the universal yap-yap-yap-yap motion.

"Just get it done. I need you to go back to California on Friday. And next time, try calling when it's not two in the morning here." His father hung up, leaving John holding the phone to his ear.

John rolled his eyes again and handed the phone to Kyle. "Start coming up with reasons why I'm not in California on Friday. We have some warning, so we should be able to think of something he'll believe."

"He wants you in California on Friday?"

"Apparently. He didn't say why, just said not to call at two in the morning next time and hung up on me."

Kyle chuckled. "I'll remember that for tomorrow."

John ran a hand through his hair. "If we were lucky, he'd just forget about me for a few months."

"Doubtful."

"Yeah, but I can dream. He forgot about me for years while I was serving."

"I thought you were getting that shoulder looked at," Cadman accused, poking her head into their conversation. "Lunch is about ready and I'd rather you didn't bleed all over the kitchen."

"Yeah, yeah. I got the unpleasant part done with, so now I can deal with my shoulder. I'll be right back." He rose and headed back toward where Cadman had said they installed McKay earlier.

The bedroom closest to the living room was empty, the door standing open, but the one toward the back was occupied, the door halfway closed. He knocked and got a quiet reply.

John slipped in. "How is he doing?"

"Quiet," Carson snapped, glancing up from the chair he was sitting in. He'd tugged one of the armchairs in the room to the side of the bed. John could still see the imprints on the rug where it normally was. "I gave him something for the pain. Thankfully there's nothing broken."

"How bad was it?” John inquired softly. “I saw some of the physical—do we think he'll make a full recovery?"

"It'll take some time for the cuts to heal and the bruises to fade, but he'll be okay physically. He hasn't said much when he was awake." Carson sighed. "I don't like him this quiet."

"Yeah, I got the impression he wasn't normally like that. Is there a therapist you can recommend? I can see about getting them in here to start helping him work through all this."

"I can see if he'll talk to Kate. She's a therapist who works for Atlantis. He doesn't like to, though."

"Well, in this case, he doesn't really have a choice. I'll try talking to him when he's up for it too. I spent some time in a POW camp, and took some beatings. It's not exactly the same, but maybe I can make him see it's not his fault."

"He's a stubborn lad, to say the least."

"Good, that actually works in his favor. They didn't have him long enough to have put in place a full program to break him. At most, I'm hoping, there will just be some trauma to work through, and then he'll be able to move on."

"Aye, perhaps. So what is this?" Carson asked, finally catching sight of John's shoulder. "What did you do?"

John gave him a small smile. "Got shot. I was in the emergency room yesterday having it looked at. But I think I tore everything open again when I was rescuing McKay."

"Bloody idiot," Carson said and he shifted in his seat and stood. "Come on. To the bathroom with you so I can see what you did."

John chuckled. "Hey, you're lucky I had it looked at. I think Kyle told the EMTs to drug me so I couldn't fight it."

Carson looked at him, narrowing his eyes at him when they got to the hallway. "Bloody idiot is right."

John shrugged, and winced at the pain it caused. "I always eventually get stuff taken care of. I just prefer to make sure everyone else is done first."

Carson shook his head and moved John into the bathroom. He propped him up against the sink and looked closer at the bandage, gently trying to shift it away from the skin. "I'm gonna have to wet this to get it off without making more of a mess."

"I figured. That's why I didn't rip it off upstairs when I took off my shirt to get a look at what I had done. I figure it's going to hurt, and probably going to bleed."

"Aye. It will." Carson turned on the tap and pulled out a washcloth, soaking it. He carefully wet down the bandage until he could carefully peel it away. He carefully examined the wound—checking the entrance and exit—humming to himself.

John tried to keep his winces to himself, grunting a few times when Carson found a really sore spot.

"It looks good. They did a good job until you went and overdid it. Let me get a new bandage and I'll get you all fixed up. Stay here."

John leaned against the counter, aware that he was still exhausted. His nap had helped, but the last few days had been a whirlwind, from defying his father to armed rescues. He'd been busy.

Carson was quick and careful, talking quietly to him the entire time. It soothed him, the noise.

John closed his eyes, letting himself drift a bit. It was rare that he was this comfortable with someone else around, and it had never happened with a doctor before, especially not one working on him.

"There you go, laddie," Carson said quietly, his hand on his good arm. "Why don't I walk you back upstairs?"

Starting, John blinked, and felt a flush creep up his chest. "Sorry. You're a very soothing person, you know that?"

"Aye, I've been told I had a good bedside manner," Carson said with a smile. He tilted his head and his smile turned into a scowl. "Let Evan help you upstairs," he decided, moving quickly out of the room and toward the bedroom McKay was in.

Shaking himself slightly, John pushed off from the counter. "I'll be fine. I do think I still have some sleep to catch up on though, that's for sure."

John heard it then, the soft whine and distress. He followed Carson, stopping at the doorway, watching as the doctor moved to the bed and immediately began shushing the restless man. "Rodney, lad, you're safe. Hush. You're gonna be fine."

John moved to the side of the bed, being careful to keep his movements easy and predictable. "Hey there, McKay. Welcome back."

McKay was still on the edge of sleep, but he was awake—his eyes open and fixed on Carson. He was panting as if he'd run a marathon, one hand fisted in the sheets while the other one clutched at Carson's arm. "Where?"

John answered him. "You're in my hotel suite, and where no one who had you knows where we are. I have a twenty-four hour security on the place as well, so they can't get anywhere near you." John was a bit startled when bright blue eyes were suddenly on him. Damn the man had seriously beautiful eyes.

"Who…who are you? What do you want?" The words started out quiet, but quickly merged into panicked.

John knelt down so it was closer to McKay's level. "My name is John Sheppard, and I'm the man who got you out yesterday, along with a few others from Atlantis. We have you in a safe house, and all I want is to protect you and keep those fuckers from ever hurting you ever again."

McKay stared at him and Carson let him, shifting out of the way. It was hard not to squirm under that gaze, but John held his place, letting McKay look, letting him work things out. "You were there," he finally said.

"Yes. I helped you get out, and I'm so sorry I wasn't there faster."

McKay blinked, shifting on the bed. "Didn't think anyone was coming."

"I don't leave anyone behind, McKay. I'll always come."

"I don't know you."

John shrugged, hiding his wince. "I know. But that doesn't change that I will never allow anyone to hurt you again." He didn't know why this man had riled all his protective instincts.

McKay shifted in the bed, pain filtering across this face. "Easy, lad," Carson said quietly. "Just relax."

John reached out, slowly so McKay could see it coming, and touched the man's good arm. "You're safe here,” he reassured, “and I'll make sure you stay that way. So just focus on getting better now, okay?"

McKay still flinched, causing another flash of pain to cross his expressive face. "Where are we?"

"At the Claremont Hotel,” John replied, “in one of their cottages. I was already renting it, so we brought you here. It's not on anyone's radar."

"Expensive."

"My father can afford it, and right now I'm on his payroll."

McKay nodded again, his eyes starting to droop.

John stood up. "Get some sleep. I'll be here, so you can ask me more questions later."

"Hmm….kay…" he said already drifting off. Carson nodded to himself and gestured John toward the door.

Slipping out, John was glad he had at least gotten to talk to the man. He hoped McKay really would be all right, with some time to heal.

"Let's get you upstairs," Carson said as they made their way down the hall—John's stomach growling as it caught the smells from the kitchen.

"Lunch first, though. I'm starving."

"Aye, I heard. I'll need to make something for Rodney soon, too. His blood sugar is a mite bit unsteady." He ushered John to a seat at the breakfast bar. "Let's get this man some food before we send him back to bed. Doctor's orders."

John rolled his eyes. "You know I'm fine, right Doc? I've been shot before, in places that were quite a bit less pleasant. And I'm tired, but that's because I've gotten probably a total of 8eight hours of sleep in the last week."

"And who is the doctor here?" Carson demanded drily.

Chuckling, John shook his head. "I haven't had a doctor stand up to me in years, you know that right?"

"I don't bloody care," Carson retorted with a smile, taking the sting out of it. "Now eat and then to bed with you."

John chuckled again, but he was starving, so when a plate appeared in front of him, he shot Lorne a grateful look and dug in.

It was more breakfast than lunch, but it tasted heavenly. Who knew bacon and eggs with home fried potatoes could taste like this?

John cleared his plate, and even stole a few extra pieces of bacon before leaning back. He glanced over at Kyle, who was eating and chatting with them as well. "Before I'm sent to bed, are there any messages for me? Anything that needs my attention?"

"Only one thing," Lorne admitted. "It seems like Bates had cleared out before Doctor Weir called him."

John's expression hardened. "Then make him a priority. I don't trust the man, and the only reason to do that is to get out before we found something. So go over everything he even potentially could have gotten his hands on this morning. My suggestion would be to lock down security for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours to give us time to make sure there aren't any hidden holes to let him or whoever is paying him get back inside."

"I have Doctors Zelenka and Kusanagi going through everything,” Lorne informed him. “The system has been locked down to them."

"Good." John gave him a tired smile. "I knew I liked you for a reason. Let me know if they find anything."

"Of course," Lorne acknowledged, glancing behind him. "I think the good doctor has you in his sights."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to be able to get out of taking a nap?" John sighed.

"Because you admitted to your doctor that you haven't been sleeping and you were injured. So up you go," Carson ordered, taking his arm and hoisting him off the bar stool. "Let's get you moving."

John winced as the movement made his shoulder twinge again. "I never sleep. If I'm not in a meeting charming someone into giving my father their money, I'm in the air doing paperwork about it."

"That sounds like a terrible way to spend your time," Carson commiserated, walking with him up the stairs.

John snorted. "I wasn't given a choice. That he agreed to send me here is a minor miracle, and he's already regretting it, and trying to figure out how to go back to whoring me out." He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice, surprised that he was comfortable enough to be truthful with the doctor.

"Well, then, that's not something a father should do now, should he?" he tutted, shaking his head. They moved into the master bedroom and Carson propelled him right to the bed. "But right now you need to get some sleep to let your body repair itself and build your blood back up to where it should be."

"Welcome to the Sheppard family," John sighed, allowing the doctor to hustle him into bed. "Why do you think I spent most of my adult life in the military?"

"I think that's a discussion for another time," Carson clucked, tucking him into the bed and gently checking the bandage. "Now, get some sleep. I'll be up to check on you in a few hours and will get you up for dinner."

He moved around the room, pulling the curtains closed against the bright afternoon sun. "And I expect you to sleep."

"I'll try,” John agreed. “I'm tired enough, but that doesn't always prove to be enough."

"I'd rather not give you something unless you need it for the pain."

"I wouldn't take it, anyway." John confided, realizing he was probably stuck with Carson Beckett as a doctor now, and oddly okay with it. "You should know I hate, with a passion, taking anything that will make me fuzzy. I'd rather be in pain than take things that will knock me out. And, frankly, the fact that I was drugged so they could work on my shoulder is part of the reason I haven't slept much since it happened. Those drugs always give me nightmares, and usually I spend days, if not weeks, after recovering from it."

"I'll keep that in mind, but I will give you pain medications if I feel they are necessary for your recovery." Carson gave him a hard look. "Now I need to get down to my real patient. He needs to eat something and then I'll let him go back to sleep."

"Go. He needs you far more than I do. I'll see you later, Doc."

Carson pulled the door closed behind him, leaving the room in semi-darkness. It was oddly soft and the domestic sounds from downstairs drifted up, easing him in a way that he couldn't explain.


	5. Chapter 5

Although nightmares woke him up a few times throughout the afternoon, John was able to fall back to sleep quickly. Around six in the evening, he rolled over and decided he needed to get up for a few hours, otherwise he was going to get his sleep times too turned around. Plus, he was hungry again.

Even before he was able to roll out of bed, there was a brisk knock at the door and then it opened revealing Carson. "Aye, good. You're up. Come on. Dinner's ready."

John chuckled, but followed the other man downstairs, not bothering with a shirt or shoes. "How's McKay doing?"

"As good as can be for someone who was tortured," Carson said bitterly.

"That bad, eh?" John asked. "Were you able to get hold of your therapist? Can she come to see him?"

Carson sighed. "Sorry. It's been a long day." He gestured for John to move into the kitchen where take-out containers littered the counter.

"I can imagine." John smiled at the others and grabbed what looked like lo mien and a pair of chopsticks, digging in.

"Evan, if I can get your help?" Carson hinted, waving toward the other man.

"Sure, whatever you need." Lorne rose from across the room.

John watched as they vanished down the hallway to the bedroom where McKay was. Cadman filled in the details. "Carson is making McKay get up to eat dinner."

"Good. If he's up to it, getting out and interacting with people is the best way to heal from something like that,” John opined. “Otherwise, it's too easy to start thinking everyone is like the people who hurt you."

"He doesn't interact with people well normally," Cadman informed John with a smirk. "His social skills are seriously lacking."

John smiled. "Then we won't expect scintillating conversation."

"Oh, but he's entertaining as hell," Cadman said with a light chuckle, glancing up as they heard movement coming back down the hall. Evan and McKay emerged, the soldier supporting the scientist as they made their way to the couch.

"A few more steps McKay. I know your legs weren't broken so put some muscle into it. I don’t want to do all the work here."

John rose as they came in, giving up his seat to McKay since it was the closest to them. "Nice to see you up and moving, McKay."

"I'd rather be in bed but Torquemada here wasn't finished with me," McKay complained.

John chuckled. "The Spanish Inquisition, eh? Surely he's not that bad."

"Worse. Immensely worse," McKay grumbled, letting Lorne ease him down into the over-stuffed chair. He was in sweats and a t-shirt—both of them hanging off of him more than John through they should. They were obviously his—especially the "I'm with genius" shirt. He stilled looked pale, which made the bruises stand out all the more, especially in the light. The most disturbing were the bruises on his neck in the shape of fingers.

John had to look away, aware his temper was rising again. He was working hard to keep it buried for the moment. A few heartbeats later, and he could look again, smile back on his face. "We have a fine selection of delicious food that is terrible for your health. What would you like?"

"Carson knows what I eat…what I can eat," he grumbled, looking around the room, his eyes lingering on the view outside the windows of the ocean.

"Maybe, but I was asking what you're in the mood for." John leaned against the counter, and felt a pull in his groin when those blues eyes swung back to him. McKay wasn't his usual type, at all, but the man was seriously calling to him. John had to remind himself that McKay was off limits.

"Nothing. I'm not hungry."

"Aww, come on. There has to be something here to tempt you."

"Besides, you, no, not really." McKay turned his head, his eyes going back to the water.

Both of John's eyebrows went up, and he felt the blush spreading, his lack of shirt meaning there was no way he could hide it. "Well, I'd be more than game, but I'm fairly certain your personal dictator would object to that kind of strenuous activity."

McKay huffed quietly. "As if," he commented before yelling, "Carson! Some of us are wasting away!"

John stepped closer, and took a risk, getting down into McKay's face. "If you weren't off limits, McKay, you'd very much be in my sights." He leaned in to press a quick kiss to that surprisingly appealing crooked mouth.

The look of utter shock was kind of adorable, but John got up just as Carson bustled into the room. "I told you I'd get you food. I'm not starving you. And you just told me you weren't hungry."

John sauntered to the side to make room. The pull was most definitely stronger now. Kissing him might have been a mistake, since now John wanted more. He started chanting "off limits" to himself.

"You forced me out here—against my will—and then you leave me here with no food," McKay was complaining. "And then you are going to torture me more when you draw yet another vial of blood. I lost enough, thank you very much. I don't need you taking any more from me."

"I pricked your finger to do a blood sugar test, stop your whining." Carson put a plate down in front of him. "I want to see you eat every scrap of that, lad."

"You took three vials! I remember that."

"I took those yesterday, Rodney. I willna need to take more unless you want me to."

"You're a vampire. I know it. A blood-thirsty vampire with a hankering for genius blood."

"Aye, and it has nothing to do with wanting to make sure you're healthy." Carson's voice dripped irony, but he was smiling. "Now eat."

"Did you put something in this, sprinkle something on my food? It took you a long time to plate this."

"Aye, I spend all the time to keep you healthy, my goal was to poison ye at the first opportunity." Carson rolled his eyes. "I didna put anything in it. I put it on a plate. Now eat."

McKay scowled down at the plate in front of him, still suspicious.

John moved in, took the fork out of his hands and took a bite. "Tastes fine to me." He scooped up another bite and held it up to McKay's lips. "Try it."

There was dead silence in the room and John could feel everyone's eyes on them. McKay's eyes were huge—round and open wide showing the reddish whites around the brilliant blue. It felt awkward, but John wasn't backing down. McKay finally opened his mouth, letting John feed him the forkful.

John gave him a small smile. "See, that wasn't so bad."

McKay chewed carefully, his eyes on John. 

Not taking his eyes off the man, John got another forkful and held it up, raising one eyebrow.

"I can feed myself," he said quietly.

"I wasn't suggesting you couldn't." He held the fork out, so McKay could take it if he wanted to.

He did, after a long moment when John though he might not. He ate the bite of food on the fork before gesturing for the plate to be handed to him so he didn't have to move off of the overstuffed armchair.

John smiled, handing the plate over and stepping back. He was aware that there were as many eyes on him as on McKay, but he did his best to ignore it. And Christ, that had been a bad idea. Now John was really struggling to keep his libido under control.

There was a burst of loud conversation a few beats later as everyone pretended that they hadn't been watching.

John moved to the window, glancing out as he tried to talk himself out of an erection. McKay was off limits. McKay was off limits...

God. He'd been tortured for days and he was an employee. This was not right.

Closing his eyes, John focused on making a list of every reason he could come up with why sleeping with McKay would be a bad idea. Unfortunately, his mind kept thinking about why it would be fun. God, that mouth alone…

With a quiet groan, John put his forehead against the cool glass of the window.

"You need something, laddie?" Carson said quietly as he came to a stop next to John.

"I need to remember that McKay is off limits, is what I need." John sighed but stood straight. "I'll be fine."

"That was interesting…especially for the lad. Normally he would have ripped your head off and handed it back to you."

John shrugged, part of him twanging that, 'see, he wants you, too'. But he ignored it. "He's just tired."

"Aye. And worn out, but he barely tolerates me and Evan here."

John shrugged, but sighed. "I should call my brother and check in. I'm sure he'll want an update, especially since I'm certain my father has filled him in on the bare bones by now."

"Finish eating. It can keep for a few more minutes." Carson handed him the take-out container he'd started on. "And I don't take no for an answer, laddie. Eat up."

John laughed, but took it. "Sir, yes sir." He re-joined the rest, eating from his container and watching to make sure McKay finished his plate.

McKay did okay, flagging about halfway through. He caught Carson watching McKay, noticed the concern, the way he noted what the scientist had eaten and what he'd left behind.

John noted that McKay had eaten all of his lo mien, so John went over and put a little more on the plate out of his own carton. "Good taste in food. I'd ignore the rest of it for the lo mien, too."

"I…you didn't have to. I’m really not hungry."

"I know. But I'm happy to share."

"It's just going to go to waste."

"If you can't eat it, that's fine." John smiled. "I've already eaten everything I want, and I was threatened with harm if I don't finish the whole carton. So by giving you some, you have something you actually seem to like to nibble on, and I don't get reamed out for not finishing. It's win-win."

"You know the tyrant is behind you, right?"

"I can feel him breathing down my neck. How mad does he look?"

McKay's eyes slid around him. "Mid-range."

John winked at McKay, taking pleasure in the surprised flush it caused. "I'll lead him away and you can dump the rest of the food without being caught."

"All right, lad," Carson said, bypassing John entirely. "Let's get you up on your feet and into the shower. I want to get you washed off and then we can see if you have the energy for more socializing."

Carson took the plate from McKay and Lorne was there on the other side, helping McKay to his feet—whether he wanted to or not. McKay's t-shirt rode up in the back and they were getting him settled on his feet and John spotted a deep, angry bruise on his back, wrapping around his side.

Sucking in a breath, John had to step back. Fuck, he was going to kill Kolya. Kill him very, very hard.

McKay gave a token protest, but let them lead him back down the hallway.

John sighed and glanced over at Kyle. "I'm sure David has been calling. Would you mind getting him on the line for me? I might as well take care of that now."

"Of course, sir," Kyle said without argument.

John took the phone when Kyle handed it to him. "David?"

"So I heard there was a bit of excitement in Maine. How do you manage to find it?"

"Luck. But I'm handling it. McKay was found, and while he's pretty beat up, he's alive and will hopefully make a full recovery. Now I'm working with them on revamping all the security protocols. Why does Dad want me in California?"

"He mentioned something about a meeting with someone…I don't have the paperwork in front of me. Tech firm of some kind."

"If you could find out for me and let Kyle know. There's a lot going on here that I need to be here for, so if it's not important, I'd rather not go."

"I thought you said it was handled there."

"McKay isn't being held captive, but there are still a lot of security protocols to go through, and the men who took him in the first place—and stole quite a bit of other information from Atlantis—are still at large. I have a good team here, but my plan is to stay until everything is fixed."

"Do we need to hire a cleanup crew to go through everything? We can clear out the company and get it set up again with the right people."

"Absolutely not,” John replied sharply. “I can handle it, it will just take time."

"This was supposed to be a site visit."

"Well, it's turned into more than that." John sighed and stood up, moving into the front of the room where there was a bit more privacy. "Dave, I like these people, and they're amazing at what they do. And they've been fighting some seriously bad people who are willing to steal what they want at all costs—to the point of torturing and killing people if necessary. You and Dad might not like it, but I'm the single best person to be here right now."

"Right," Dave said, his voice dripping with distain. "I thought we solved that hero complex of yours. There's no one else who can go to California. You're it."

"I've already made it clear I'm not going in to charm anyone into playing nice anymore. Is that what California is, or is it a legitimate deal potential for Atlantis?"

"I told you I don't have the paperwork in front of me,” David evaded. “It's a tech firm."

"Let Kyle know." John said, resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to get the answer he wanted—again. "I don't mind going if it's a legitimate deal. I won't play the whore anymore though, Dave. I can't pretend it doesn't bother me any longer."

"Right. So the two hundred thousand dollar bill for last weekend in San Francisco doesn't count."

"So you think that means I should fuck whoever you tell me to, if it means you get a deal?" John knew he was raising his voice, but he didn't care.

"I didn't say that."

"That's exactly what you implied, and why you and our father send me to these places. You think that as long as you throw money at me, I'll be more than happy to bed whomever will get you a deal. I'm telling you now, I will not play the company whore anymore."

"We're not the ones hiring hookers for the weekend!"

"Because at least with them I feel like I have some fucking control over something!"

"Right. I forgot, this is you acting out. You seemed to have missed this stage growing up."

"Fuck you." John hung up and threw the phone across the room, ignoring the shocked stares of everyone else. He headed for the bedroom, knowing he needed some time alone. He wished there was someplace he could go to get into a good fight.

Surprisingly enough, they left him alone for several hours until there was a gentle knock on the door.

John didn't bother to look up from where he was sitting, looking out the window. "Come in."

The doctor poked his head in. "You seemed to have a wee bit of a tiff with whoever was on the phone earlier—or so I heard. Are you okay, laddie?"

John sighed. "I don't have a choice, so I'll get over it."

"What's there to get over?"

He shook his head. "I can't escape it. One way or another, they'll sell me for sex until I'm too old and worn out to be attractive anymore. Then they'll stop because it won't make them any money."

Carson perched on the edge of a nearby chair. "Is that what you think they're doing?"

John laughed, and knew it was a hard, humorless sound. "I know that's what they're doing. My father told me point blank once that he wanted a contract, and he expected me to sleep with every person in the room to get it. He meant it too, because they all showed up at my hotel room over the course of the conference, and I sure as hell didn't invite them over."

"They why did you agree to this?"

"Because I didn't have a choice. I was thrown out of the Air Force for disobeying a general's orders to abandon several men in hostile territory. They died anyway, and I was only spared a full court martial because I was fucking good at what I did, and had several medals of honor. Plus, it would have embarrassed the hell out of all the brass if it got out what I was being discharged for—people here at home would be pissed they were putting their own comfort above the lives of their soldiers. But that left me with nowhere to go except crawling back to my father."

"You obviously…liked it well enough for some of the time or else you would have stopped before."

"No, I never liked it,” John ground out, “but I accepted it. I told myself it was the price I paid for my mistakes."

"What did you need to atone for, laddie? You're too young to hang onto all this."

John paused, trying to decide how much to share. "I've killed a lot of people. Some of them deserved it, others died when I should have saved them. But I'll spend the rest of my life making amends for every life I took. And will take, since I fully intend to kill Kolya if I ever get my hands on him. That's one I probably won't feel any guilt over."

"Aye. You may have some volunteers to help with that one," Carson said grimly. "But you did what you had to in order to survive. You canna worry about what's done and finished. You need to look ahead or else you're just going to continue to keep beating yourself up over it."

John shrugged, and sighed again. "Either way, my family will continue to use me however they can. I just have to accept it."

"Maybe, maybe not. You cooled off a bit?"

"Yes. Sorry about that,” John apologized contritely. “I'll apologize to everyone else later as well. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"It's bound to happen when family is involved,” Carson smiled. “Now, what I want to know is what your intentions are."

"My intentions about what?" John asked, puzzled.

"We both know what I'm referring to, laddie," he replied looking at him hard. "He's been through enough and he does not need you playing with his emotions."

John looked away. "I know he's off limits. In another time and place, I'd probably be doing everything I could to woo him. But I know what he's been through. I won't be an added complication for him."

"I'm not telling you not to pursue him. I just want to be very clear that he is extremely vulnerable right now."

"I know. And I'm the last thing he needs." John shook his head. "I won't lie and say I'm not attracted to him. But he's off limits."

Carson nodded and rose to his feet. "Aye, okay. I hear you. I'll try to break the news gently to him, then. And we should probably find somewhere else to stay in the meantime."

John looked at him sharply. "What do you mean break the news to him?"

"You've made your point quite clear," Carson said, already halfway to the door. "I'll work with Evan to get a safe house set up for the short-term."

"Wait." John rose, panic suddenly gripping him.

"Aye, what?"

"Fuck." John ran a hand through his hair. "You can't move him. He... needs to be settled, and he's comfortable here. You don't have to make plans to leave yet."

"We canna stay here indefinitely."

"I know. I just..." John sighed softly. "Is it wrong that I don't want to lose him yet? Fuck, I've just met him, I know damn well I'm not anything he needs."

"Normally I would tell you to take your time, but right now you need to make up your mind because I have a very close friend downstairs already talking about you in ways that I have not heard in a very long time and I am not ready to see him hurt again. Not after what he's already been through. Do you understand me?"

John felt his eyes widen. He paced away, needing some space for a moment. "I'm nothing but a highly paid whore for my father. He deserves a hell of a lot better. He's a genius for god's sake."

"I am simply telling you what I see and observe and what I will and will not tolerate as his doctor and his friend."

"You're a good friend." John looked away. If he were smart, he would let Beckett take McKay away now, and make sure he never crossed paths with the man again. But the greater part of him was saying he would be making a bigger mistake than any of the others thus far. "I can't make any promises. But I can't... let him walk away yet."

 

"So what are you saying?"

"I don't know. I just know that I can't let you take him away from me right now."

Carson looked at him for a long moment before sighing. "Aye. Okay. Just…be easy with him."

"I will. I don't want to hurt him."

"If you do you will have me to contend with. Aye?"

"I understand." John gave him a tired smile.

"Aye. There's some dessert downstairs if you are so inclined."

"What kind?"

"Ice cream, of course. Rodney insisted. Also some pastries from a local place we know are citrus free."

John had a weakness for sweets, so he followed Carson down the stairs. "Citrus free?"

"Aye," Carson said, pausing halfway down the stairs. "A shirt would be a good thing for you. Up you go."

"Huh?" John looked down. He had forgotten he wasn't wearing one. "Right. I'll be right down."

"Aye, ye will," Carson said, heading down the rest of the stairs.

John grabbed a black tee shirt out of a drawer, being careful of his shoulder, before walking back down. He gave everyone a sheepish smile. "Sorry for earlier, guys."

Kyle and Lorne were nowhere to be seen, but Cadman and Carson were on the couch. McKay was back in the overstuffed armchair. The television was on low and everyone had something sweet in hand. A pot of coffee was also on the coffee machine.

He poured himself a cup and grabbed some ice cream, sitting down near McKay. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Awake after the shower," he said with a shrug. "I've been forced out here to socialize."

"Not a bad thing." John smiled at him.

"I do not socialize. It's inhumane," McKay complained, glancing up at John with a shy look before turning back to his ice cream.

"Depends entirely on the company. In this case, I think I'd rate it a little higher on the enjoyable scale."

That got a wide-eyed surprised look before he concentrated on his food again. "So, Sheppard, do you watch television?" Cadman asked, smirking across the coffee table at him.

John chuckled. "Occasionally. Depends on what's on, honestly."

"Mythbusters is on in a few minutes if that suits your taste," Cadman offered.

"That's one I can watch. How can you not enjoy watching shit get blown up?"

Her smirk turned into a broad grin. "That's what I maintain, however the eggheads don't always agree."

"They're just jealous they didn't think of the idea first." John grinned at McKay, making sure he knew they were all teasing.

McKay though was deep in his ice cream, playing with it more than eating it, and more or less tuning them out.

John moved closer, nudging his leg. "What do you like to watch on television, McKay?"

The little touch startled him, his bowl of ice cream finding flight. It landed upside down right on his chest, the cold mushy ice cream dripping out all over. 

"Crap! Sorry!" John stood up, grabbing the bowl and scraping some of the ice cream back into it. "Let me go get a towel."

"No, no, it's fine," Rodney protested, leaning forward and pulling his shirt away from his chest. "It's my fault." Carson was there a beat later, pulling off the sodden shirt—ignoring McKay's complaints.

"I'll nae have you getting a cold or filthy. One shower was enough for today," Carson tutted, balling up the shirt in his hands as he headed back toward the bedroom.

John had moved into the kitchen to get a damp towel, and he returned to kneel in front of McKay, batting hands away to carefully clean all the stickiness off the other man's chest. "There. Better?"

"No. Not at all," McKay said, his voice low and tight. "I think I'm done for the night and I'd like to go back to my room."

"I'm sorry." John stood up and backed away.

John watched McKay struggle to his feet and lurch toward the hallway. The bruises were clear for all to see, a cornucopia of colors against pale skin.

When he was out of sight, John sighed and used the towel to clean up the rest of the mess that he had missed on the chair.

"I didn't see that coming," Cadman said quietly, handing him a dry towel.

"Yeah, me neither." John accepted it, finishing up the cleaning.

"They really hurt him," she said. "I knew but until I saw…"

"I know." John looked down the hall. "I want to tear the people who hurt him limb from limb. Once we get the security at Atlantis in order, hunting the men who hurt him becomes the next priority."

Before John could respond, there was a crash and yelling from down the hall. "No! Get out!"

He was down the hall before he even knew he was moving.

Rodney was huddled on the bed, a shirt clutched in his hands, and Carson was standing near the door, hands out looking like he was trying to soothe the skittish scientist. "I said get out!"

John's eyes scanned the room looking for intruders. Finding none, he put a hand on Beckett's shoulder. "Let him have some space. You can check on him later, or he can holler if he needs you."

"I was just—"

"Let him." John recognized the signs. He felt that way sometimes himself. McKay needed some space.

McKay was breathing heavily, but his entire body was tense, held so tightly.

John tugged Beckett out of the room, closing the door. "He needed some space. Give him a half hour, then go check on him."

"But I—"

John had continued pulling him down the hall, into one of the unused rooms. "I know. But I've been there. When you've been under the control of someone else, someone who hurt you, at some point, when you get back and people are fussing, it gets to be too much. You need space to remember you're not under someone's thumb anymore."

Carson nodded after a long minute, crumbling under himself a little. "Aye. He always accuses me of mothering him. I'll leave him be." He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes.

John put a reassuring hand on the doctor’s shoulder. "And that's not a bad thing. He needs to remember what it feels like to have people fussing over him that don't want to cause him pain. Otherwise, he'd be at risk of forgetting that not everyone is an enemy. But for whatever reason, this triggered his need for some space. Give him a half hour, then go back in and see if he needs anything. With luck, he'll have calmed down, and by tomorrow he'll be fine again, as much as he can be."

"I donna know if I can do this. I am so angry and trying not to show it, but he has ta know."

"I'm sure he does, but that's okay. As long as you make sure he knows you're not angry with him. Hell, I'm ready to go out and hunt and kill the people who hurt him for sport. As soon as I get security straightened out, I still might."

"I dunno know," he said with a tired sigh. "What a day."

"Tell me about it." John shook his head. "I think I'm going to head back to bed. I still need to catch up on my sleep."

"Aye you do."

"I'll see you in the morning then. I'll have to head to Atlantis to meet with Doctor Weir and Lorne to start going over all the security protocols."

"Aye. Good night," Carson said quietly, letting John go.

Heading upstairs, John stripped down and fell into bed, exhausted. Despite his naps, he didn't become aware of anything again until he rolled over and the clock said 6 AM. He had a lot to do, so instead of trying for anything else, he got up, got showered—Beckett was going to have to redo the bandaging again if he had the time—and headed downstairs. He'd put on a pot of coffee if no one else was up yet.

It was quiet downstairs, but as soon as he stepped foot on the first floor, he knew he wasn't alone. He stopped, looking around. He spotted what was out of place after a few minutes. There was a figure huddled by the sliding door, wrapped in a comforter and leaning against the wall.

"Hello?" John made sure he didn't sneak up on the figure, who he was pretty sure was McKay.

The scientist shifted, groaning quietly, as he blinked up at John. "Sheppard?"

"Hey." John knelt down. "I have to tell you, that floor does not look comfortable. Why don't you move to the chair while I make some coffee?"

"Better view here," he said quietly, but offered John his hand to help get him on his feet. He was stiff—had to have been there for hours. "Thanks," he muttered once he was on the couch.

"You could have dragged the chair over there, you know. You'd probably hurt less." John started a pot of coffee, pulling out two cups. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Too heavy," McKay said with a shrug. "Light and sweet."

"Sounds good." As soon as the pot was done brewing, John got both cups and joined the other man on the couch.

McKay took a long drag of the coffee, humming in appreciation. "Sorry about last night."

"No, it was my fault." John shrugged. "And I can understand not wanting anyone near you." He looked over. "I spent time in a POW camp, and had my own episodes that were pretty much the same thing. Friends are great, but at some point you need a little space to breathe. I get it."

"I never knew what was coming next, what they were going to do. I just knew it was going to hurt."

John was quiet, knowing McKay hadn't talked about anything to anyone yet. He hoped that the quiet space here would be an opportunity for him to get a bit of it off his chest.

"I didn't think it would hurt more than what they did at the house…god, the blood…" His hands started shaking a bit, but he grabbed the mug with two hands and forced himself to take a small sip of his coffee. "But they knew what to do to make sure it hurt."

John nodded. From the injuries he had seen, the people who had done this knew how to cause the most pain for the least amount of damage. At the end of the day, they needed McKay more or less whole if they were going to use him later.

"I didn't think I'd see the sky again. It was only a matter of time before I gave them what they wanted or they killed me. It was a close thing."

Ah, that explained why he had been sitting near a window. John made a mental note to see about having a chair brought into the guest room where McKay would be able to look out the window in comfort and private.

"And what I haven't been able to figure out is why me? They didn't ask me anything a first-year undergraduate student couldn't have answered."

John figured now was the time to jump in. "They wanted your genius, but they wanted to break you first. The pain, the hole, even asking you simple questions to confuse you, it was all designed to mess with your head. The longer they had you, the more complex the questions would have gotten."

McKay shrugged and shivered, taking another sip of his coffee. "Maybe they did."

"If they did, then they did." John looked over. "It wasn't your fault. Every man, no matter who he is, how much training he has, or how smart he is, will break eventually. You have no blame and should have no guilt. All of that should be laid at the feet of the people who chose to hurt you to get what they wanted instead of doing the research and work themselves."

He shrugged again, his gaze on his hands as they clutched the mug of coffee.

"The best advice I can give you is to just take every day as it comes. There will be days it's easy to believe that, and others where you struggle to come to grips with it. Don't beat yourself up over the bad days and celebrate the good ones."

"I just…they were there when I got home. Waiting…" He shivered again.

"I know." John reached out to very lightly touch McKay's knee. "I was in your apartment later, trying to figure out who had taken you. I believe Doctor Weir sent in a team to make sure everything is cleaned up when you're ready to go back."

"I'm not going back there," McKay declared.

"Okay. Do you want me to arrange to have your things packed up? I can put it all in storage for you until you're ready to find a new home."

"I…I don’t know."

"Then let me get it all packed up for you. I can have some of your clothes brought here, along with anything else you think you want. Everything else I'll store until you're ready to deal with it."

The scientist shrugged again. 

"Do you want me to wait a few days so you can think about it? I'll do whatever makes you the most comfortable."

After a few minutes, McKay finally nodded. "I just need to get my head around everything."

"Okay. Just let me know what you decide." John smiled at him. "There's no rush for anything."

"Good, good," he said and then finished off his coffee, handing John the mug.

Taking it, John stood up. "Want another cup?"

"Yes. Same as before."

It didn't take him long to fix two more cups and rejoin McKay on the couch.

The scientist muttered something and dove into the second cup.

John was content to sit and sip his own mug for the moment, letting his mind drift.

"So," McKay said after a few minutes of silence. "Who are you? It seems like Carson and Lorne and them trust you and know you, but…" He offered a silent shrug. "I know I'm not the best with names and faces…"

John chuckled softly. "They only met me a few days ago, so don't worry, we haven't met and you forgot. I think they trust me because I pretty much came in and made enemies and railroaded a lot of people to get to you and get you safe. As for who I am, my father owns Atlantis Corp. and I'm just the liaison to make sure you guys get everything you need."

"Oh," McKay said, his expression moving first to surprise to disappointment to an eerie calm all in a matter of seconds. "You're my new boss."

"No. That would be my father." John shrugged. He looked over at McKay, deciding to be honest. "I... am incredibly attracted to you. I know you're not in a good place, and making a pass at you is a seriously bad idea. I'd understand if you think there's too much potential complication to even think about starting something."

"You're. My. Boss," McKay said firmly. "Elizabeth was very clear about that on Friday before this all happened."

"She was clear that you aren't allowed to date me?"

"No, she was clear in telling me I had to be on my best behavior when you arrived because you were my new boss."

John waved a hand. "Feel free to be yourself. As I'm sure all the people who've met me so far can tell you, I'm kind of not known for playing by the rules."

McKay snorted quietly. "I think I've made enough of a spectacle of myself already."

John looked over at him, and had the sudden, very strong urge to kiss those crooked lips. "So if I told you that I'm fighting the need to kiss you stupid at the moment..."

A look of panic crossed his face and he shifted as if to get up. "I would tell you that it would be a very bad idea."

John sighed. "I know that. But it doesn't stop me from wanting it. Wanting you. I keep telling myself you should be off limits, but when Beckett said he was going to find somewhere else to take you to recover... I'm guessing that's what a panic attack feels like."

"I am not…I am not good with people,” McKay admitted. “I'm arrogant and my track record is beyond abysmal." He shook his head. "I like my job and I'd like to keep it."

John shook his head. "I wouldn't force you out, even if we tried and didn't work out. You're good at what you do, and I've never been one for getting revenge on someone just because we didn't work out." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I'm not going to force myself on you by any stretch, but I am putting it out there that I'm interested, despite knowing I shouldn't be."

"It's a bad idea, on so many levels," McKay argued.

"Agreed,” John grinned. “But that's never stopped me from doing something before. No risk, no reward, right?"

McKay snorted, but settled back, not quite ready to run at this point—not that John thought he was physically able to at this point. "So…how did we get on the radar?"

"Of me personally?"

"We generally try to avoid getting…." His hand waved in the air. "…people involved who aren't…you know, part of Atlantis."

"Well, my father bought Atlantis a few years ago and it's been run as an independent subsidiary since then. You're kind of the rebels of the Sheppard Industries empire in that regard. And since I'm the rebel of my family, and was tired of the way my father has been using me, I more or less demanded to be given this assignment. I saw the work you were doing, and I want to help get you the resources you need."

"So you…what, are trying to be the proverbial white knight or something?"

"Something like that." John sighed. "I'd say it's more that I'm looking to be part of something that doesn't leave me feeling dirty every day."

McKay shot him a look, but surprisingly held his tongue. "What we do is going to be way over your head. Don't expect me to sit around and dumb it down for you."

John snorted. "I won't pretend I'm on your level, but I'm not stupid either. I spent most of my career in the Air Force, and they don't let dumb people fly multi-million dollar planes. I also have my masters degree in mathematics."

"You do not,” McKay scoffed. “Not with that hair."

"I do. I've thought about getting my PhD now that I have the time, but I'm fairly sure my father would insist on it being something business related, and I'm not interested in economics. He threw a fit over the math, but since that was on the government's dime through the GI bill, he couldn't stop me."

McKay scowled at him. "How can you be smart and that hot? That's just not possible. Besides, if you went into the military you can't be that smart to risk your valuable brain cells."

Chuckling, John glanced over at him. "So I'm hot, eh? Good to know. The military was an acceptable option for me. I needed somewhere to go where my father had no power or influence. At eighteen, I was the black sheep, and on the verge of being disowned. I wanted to fly, and the Air Force filled both needs."

McKay shifted on the couch. "I didn't really mean that I thought you were hot, but…"

"Hey, no taking that back. I think you're hot, too."

"I didn't mean it in the way that it sounded, obviously, because you're my boss and that would be constituted as sexual harassment or something. Elizabeth made me take those classes and I remember something about that."

"McKay, I'm actively coming on to you. I don't think you need to worry about sexual harassment with me."

"Oh no. This could be some kind of complicated trick to find a reason to fire me because I got myself kidnapped and tortured—even though it wasn't my fault. They were there when I got home and I didn't have a chance to run away. But it's happened before when one thing led to another and then I ended up out on my ass with my tail between my legs trying to find a job that I wasn't blacklisted from."

"McKay...Rodney." John set his cup down and moved so he was on his knees in front of the other man. "I'm not looking for a reason to fire you, or hurt you. I would go through a lot to make sure no one ever hurts you ever again. I want you. I am attracted to you. But I don't want to make you uncomfortable either. It's as simple as that. You can say no, you aren't interested at any time, and there will be no repercussions."

"I…um…" McKay's eyes were wide and there was a slight feeling of panic emanating off of him, but he was making no move to run. He reached out, his fingertips lightly, hesitantly touching John's jaw, skimming along the skin.

John closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. It was amazing how something so simple could resonate through him so fast and so strong. He swallowed hard.

"Oh god," McKay murmured shakily.

"Yeah." Opening his eyes, John looked up into a sea of blue. "I know it's a bad idea and I just don't care. I want you too much to care." He very slowly closed the distance between them, giving McKay a chance to stop him if he didn't want to be kissed.

He heard McKay swallow loudly, but he didn't shift away. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned forward.

John made a soft noise and closed the distance, taking it slow, keeping his hands at his sides since he knew that, right now, being held might evoke unpleasant flashbacks. Instead, John focused on their lips, on the way they tasted. He ran his tongue along the seam of that crooked mouth, silently asking permission.

McKay—Rodney—groaned and opened his mouth, his hand reaching around to the back of his head, fingers threading through the hairs there.

John moaned, and took the invitation, plunging in and claiming Rodney's mouth. It was hot and perfect and made him just want more. He started to break it off when he needed to take a breath and he felt something wet seeping onto his shirt and against his chest.

Pulling back slowly, he looked down to see what it was.

Rodney had let go of his mug of coffee and it had tipped forward as they'd shifted together, drenching Rodney's lap and the front of John's shirt.

Grinning, John licked his lips. "When you're willing to sacrifice coffee for kissing, you know it's good."

"This is becoming a habit," McKay—Rodney, John corrected in his head—said. "I need to change."

"Yeah, me, too. And I can't say I'm sorry this time. It was worth the mess."

Rodney blushed, picking up the mug and draining the last drop before shifting on the couch.

John sat back, standing and holding his hand out to help Rodney off the couch. As soon as the other man was standing John leaned in and gave him another, briefer, kiss.

Rodney gave another moan as soon as their lips touched.

John deepened it briefly before forcing himself to come up for air again. "If I don't let you walk away now, I'm going to push too far too fast."

Rodney already looked wrecked, his lips kiss swollen and his eyes dilated. He was breathing heavily and looking up at John as if he was the answer to everything. 

John had to swallow hard and remind himself that Rodney had been through a lot in the past week. He needed to take this slow. As much as it was going to kill him. Leaning in, John pressed one last, light kiss to the other man's lips. "Go change, and I'll do the same. I do have to head in to work for a bit today, but if you're up for it later, I'd like to have dinner with you. Maybe I could bring something back?"

It took a few seconds before McKay blinked himself back to awareness. He licked his lips and finally glanced away. John could see him pull himself together. "I…I don't know what Torquemada has in store for me."

John chuckled. "I'll wait and see how you're feeling when I get back later then. We can go from there. How does that sound?"

He nodded a little shakily, but started moving toward the downstairs bathroom. "That's probably a good idea and sorry about the…" he waved his hand toward John's wet shirt.

John gave him a wicked smile. "Totally worth it. Any time you want to dump coffee on me, I'm game for it."

"Well, I don't want to…injure the important parts."

"Well, there is that. Next time we'll try it without hot beverages, I think." John laughed softly.

Rodney groaned quietly as he paused at the entrance to the hallway leading toward the bedrooms and bathroom. "You…" He shook his head and then pointed down the hall. "I'm going."

John chuckled again, waiting until Rodney had disappeared down the hall to head back up to his own room to grab a clean shirt. Damn, he wanted that man. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually desired a specific person this much. Maybe never. He knew for a fact he'd never wanted someone this much this fast.

Of course his brother would be quick to point out that Rodney was not a damsel—in the literal definition of the word—and he was no white knight.

He sighed. He didn't want to think about his brother right now, but he had a feeling, at some point today, Dave was going to hunt him down.

He cleaned up again, pulling on a set of new clothes. He was going to have to spend time at Atlantis and get things straightened out. Honestly, this whole situation was turning into a clusterfuck. He needed to establish a game plan and then work from there.

Heading back down, he hoped Kyle was up, since they needed to get some serious work done today.

He spotted Lorne in the kitchen, fixing himself a mug of coffee. He was dressed in business casual clothes and had a handgun tucked into the back of his pants. He glanced up as John walked into the kitchen. "Morning, sir. You were up early."

John raised an eyebrow. He had wondered if anyone else knew he and Rodney had been up. "I'm an early riser, and courtesy of Doctor Beckett, I got a lot more sleep than usual yesterday. Do you have someone to be here to provide security today? I'm going to need you in the meetings with Doctor Weir."

"Cadman is remaining here along with Doctor Beckett. I need to evaluate the rest of the security team before I send anyone else here as backup." He paused, narrowing his eyes at John. "And yes, I was up keeping an eye on Doctor McKay after he left his bedroom at three this morning."

John nodded. "Good. I don't want anyone here we can't trust. And no, I won't hurt him, at least not intentionally. I made it clear to him what I wanted, which I'm sure you heard. Do I think it's a bad idea? Yes. Is that going to stop me? No, because, honestly, I'm attracted to him and he seems to feel the same way."

Lorne nodded. "Yes, it seemed that way. I'm surprised I didn't give myself away."

John chuckled. "I was pretty distracted."

"Yes, you were."

"You object?"

Lorne shrugged, stirring his coffee for a few moments before answering. "Can I speak freely, sir?"

"You don't have to call me sir,” John reminded him. “Neither of us is in the military anymore. But feel free. I promise not to be offended."

"You're still the boss, sir,” Lorne insisted seriously. “McKay is crazy smart and incredibly stupid at the same time. Many times we need to protect him from himself. That being said, I don't know what your long terms plans are and what you plan to do with the company. And it's not my business to ask or to know. But when push comes to shove, this is all shiny and new to you. We have no guarantee that you won't find something else to entertain your fancy in a few months, leaving this small office behind. You obviously have the money and the influence to get a lot done…and you expect a lot because of who you are."

Lorne shrugged again. "I'm holding off on making an objection to where I think this is going to go in the short term, but I reserve my right to kick your ass if you hurt him."

John nodded acceptingly. "I don't blame you. Honestly, I can't make any guarantees. Not that I'll lose interest, but that my father won't decide to force the issue. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do if it comes to that, since it would essentially mean getting tossed on my ass with nothing except the clothes on my back. I don't need a lot of money, but I'd rather not live on the streets. All I can promise is that I have no intention of leading him on or hurting him."

"Just…I don't know you, sir,” Lorne carried on, “and the last thing he needs is more complications."

"I do understand that," John sighed. "I really don't want to hurt him, and I will take it slow to make sure we really want the same thing."

"Then I guess that's all I have to say on the subject for now, sir."

"Good. Then start thinking about security, because we'll be creating a priority list today with Weir for everything that needs to get done, and in what order."

"I need to go through all the files before I get started,” Lorne informed him. “I asked Zelenka to compile everything for me and to go over user logs from the past six months to note any irregularities."

"That's part of what we'll be doing today,” John approved, “starting to go through all of that. I want to see if we can spot the most pressing problems and get started on fixes now. I don't want to wait for a full report and leave the company vulnerable in the meantime."

Lorne nodded. "I know. And we have to find out how much McKay told Genii Corp."

"I know, but let's wait a bit on that. He's still recovering, and still in trauma mode. Let him have at least a few days to process everything, then we can ask him what he remembers."

"We need to do it sooner rather than later."

"I know, but I don't want to push him further than he can handle. It will do more damage long term." John grimaced. "We'll take it day by day, and tell him that when he feels like he's up to it, we need to debrief him."

Lorne looked like he was going to argue, but didn't, instead concentrating on his coffee. 

John glanced up as Kyle came in, breaking up the conversation. John filled him in on the plan for the day.

"Do you want to take the town car and leave Doctor Beckett's car here?" Kyle asked. "Also, housekeeping wanted to know when they could service the cottage."

"Yes,” John mused. “I'd rather not move Beckett's car much until we're ready to relocate McKay. The more it's on the road, the more chances Genii has to spot it and follow it. The town car is generic enough to be nondescript."

Kyle nodded, making some notes on his phone. "I'll drive you and Mister Lorne to Atlantis when you're ready to leave."

"You do know I can drive myself, right?" John objected.

Kyle gave him a long look. "Housekeeping, sir?"

John sighed. It was a long-standing argument. Kyle was convinced John would kill himself in a car accident if left alone to drive more than a mile or two. He had to sneak away when he was home to drive his own car. "Talk to Beckett about housekeeping. If McKay is up to a walk today, he can go down to the lake for a bit while they clean."

"I'll confer with Doctor Beckett before we leave."

"Good. I'd like to head out soon, to be there after Doctor Weir has had time to get in and get settled. We have a lot of ground I want to cover today."

"Of course, sir. I'll be back in ten minutes." Kyle headed down the hall and John heard a knock a few beats later.

"Need anything to eat, sir?" Lorne asked as he hunted in the fridge. "I know you didn't get around to it earlier this morning."

Snorting, John shrugged. "I don’t eat a lot in the mornings, but if there's a bagel I'll take it."

"Atlantis will have that and some other sweets. I don't think there's anything resembling that in here. Lo mien?"

"Ah, no. I'll wait then."

Lorne poked around a little more, before giving up and finishing his coffee. He left the mug in the sink and was heading to one of the living room chairs when Kyle wandered back in. "We're good, sir. Whenever you're ready we can head out."

John glanced at Lorne. "I'm ready when you are."

"I'm ready," Lorne agreed with a nod. "You don't need anything else?"

John shook his head, so they headed out. It didn't take them long to get to Atlantis, John looking out the window the whole time, letting his thoughts wander.

There was a lot at stake here both personally and professionally. And he had a lot to wrap up in a single day if he was heading back to California tomorrow morning.

He still hadn't decided if he was going to go or not. He really didn't want to leave just yet, and neither his father not his brother had told him why he should go, which made him suspicious.

The ride into the office was quick, cutting his thoughts short before they got much beyond the initial spinning. Doctor Weir was waiting for him in the lobby as they walked in. He glanced at Lorne in surprise who raised his hand and showed his phone to John. "Let her know we were headed in."

"Ah, that works,” John grinned. “Good. Let's get started then."

Zelenka was waiting for them in the main conference room, laptop computer opened in front of him. He glanced up as they walked in. "Ah yes. Good. You are here. Much to discuss."

John took a seat, grabbing a bagel off the side table as he did.

"It seems that Henderson was trying to access classified files for our bridge project. Also, he was very interested in porting research into more…sellable areas, mostly WMDs to countries which should not have power like that in first place." Zelenka paused, glancing down at his computer screen for a second before continuing. "From financials, he was employed by Genii and Atlantis concurrently for approximately six months."

John grimaced and asked, "How much was he actually able to get, versus what he was trying for?"

"Very little, if any data, left the building. McKay is paranoid for good reason, yes?"

"Very good. At least we don't have that to worry about. What else did you find?"

"He spent most of his time in office watching YouTube videos, porn, and trying to hack into secure servers."

"What about Bates? Do we know if he was an accomplice, or just stupid?"

"There I am unsure still," Zelenka admitted with a frown. "He never tried to access secure servers. He was always on time. I find it difficult to find something wrong with him."

"He re-wrote all of the security protocols and coding,” John reminded the scientist. “I'm not saying he did anything, but if he did, it would be in there somewhere."

"I went and back-tracked using his terminal and I found nothing amiss."

"Keep looking just to be safe,” John ordered. “We're going to be overhauling everything anyway, but I just want to make sure we don't miss any hidden loopholes."

Zelenka nodded. "He has some knowledge of systems, but not enough to do what you think he has done."

"I don't necessarily think he did. I just want to make sure we cover all the bases. After all, he didn't have to do the work himself, just make sure someone who had the knowledge had the time and access they needed to put in the holes."

"Agreed. However, we have had attack on servers over weekend. Many non-working logins, or logins to old retired servers."

"Can you trace it to a source?"

"Roughly. It is local access, but it was using old password and username."

"So odds are good it was someone from Genii,” John concluded, “using a login either Henderson provided, or that was bullied out of McKay?"

"Yes, I would take those odds seeing they were using old system access credentials for Rodney."

"To be on the safe side, how hard would it be to change out all the credentials for everyone in the company?"

"It is already completed. I have not released to company, yet."

"Fantastic." John relaxed a little. They were already ahead of the game in a lot of ways. It was a lot better than he thought.

"Tracking back McKay's logins point to an IP address where he was located."

"In the warehouse where they were holding him?"

"Yes. They piggybacked off of several servers, but Miko was able to get exact location this morning. Better late than never, no?" Zelenka chuckled.

John nodded. "It confirms who was doing it, so at least we know we don't have a second player out there to worry about right now. Ask her to keep tracking, since it's possible they'll try again, and that will give us any new locations they might have moved to."

"She was continuing to research as well," the scientist said with a smile. "You never know when computer camera will show something useful, yes?"

John grinned. "They picked the wrong set of geeks to mess with."

Zelenka returned his smile. "That seems to be the case, yes."

They spent the next several hours going point by point through all the various security measures, updates, personnel and anything else they could throw in.

They ordered lunch in so they didn't get distracted and John finalized the rest of Atlantis Corp.'s security team. He only felt weird about one of them—the young kid, Aiden Ford. But he left him on the payroll for now.

By the time the day was drawing to a close, John felt like they had really accomplished a lot and he was itching to get back to the cottage. It had been too long since he could physically see that everything was okay. Lorne had been in touch with Cadman, but he needed to see for himself. If he were going to get paranoid like this when McKay was out of his sight for a few hours, the only option would be to take McKay with him to California if he couldn't avoid the trip.

It was something to consider. It would be a lot safer to pack the whole lot of them up and remove them from the area. However, spending that much time with him might not be a good idea either.

He decided to see what he was actually supposed to do in California, and then talk to the others to see what they wanted to do.

He had two options: call David or make Kyle do it.

Sighing, he grabbed the phone and dialed his brother. He wasn't a coward, and he'd rather do this now than later.

It took three rings before his brother picked up, sounding distracted. "David Sheppard."

"It's John."

"Oh, hi. How are things in…Maine?"

"Fine. I've just spent the day working on fixing the security holes, and I wanted to find out what it is I'm supposed to be doing in California."

"Right. California. I went over this with Kyle earlier. Plane's ready to go first thing. Your meeting's at noon."

"I haven't talked to him since early this morning. So what's there? Who am I meeting with and why?"

David sighed. "Do you really need me to brief you now?"

"It's why I called,” John said tersely. “If you can't right now though, you can just say so."

"No, it's fine." John could hear the shuffling of paper over the phone. "You're meeting with a company called Manaria Corporation. They're a tech firm with some interesting products. We're interested. This is an introductory meeting and yes, this is something that would be very good for Atlantis."

"We looking to buy them outright, or just license some of their technology?"

"We want to work with them."

"All right. I'll get the rest of the travel details from Kyle then. After I finish there, I'll probably head back here to Maine."

"If you think you need to."

"I don't know about need to, but I like it here," John admitted.

"Its Maine. Not your usual kind of place."

John shrugged, even though his brother couldn't see it. "I might find a condo out here, and make this my home base."

"Maine. Really?" David sounded surprised.

"Yeah. I'm ready to have a home, instead of just living in hotels all the time."

David laughed. "Right. Okay, I have a dinner meeting I need to get to. I'll talk to you tomorrow after your meeting with Manaria."

"Sounds good." John hung up and tossed the phone onto the seat next to him. He was going to have to get the full briefing from Kyle and find out the travel plans, then figure out what they were going to do about security for Rodney.

They arrived back at the cottage in a few minutes, only to find the front door standing open.

John's heart stopped.

He raced into the cottage and part of his brain started calculating how much he was going to have to spend to put it back the way it was when he left this morning. Everything was upside down. The contents of the kitchen were spread out across the kitchen spilling into the living room.

He had been carrying one of his guns since they had gotten McKay out, and it was in his hand now, ready to go as he started for the bedrooms on the first floor, hoping to find Carson and Rodney, and Cadman, holed up somewhere.

The downstairs bedrooms were clear—a mess of clothing and toiletries—but no people. Upstairs was the same. No one was in the cottage. They were gone.

John could barely think. He remembered Carson saying they might go out to the coast if McKay was feeling up to it. John prayed to find his missing people there as he headed outside.

A car was pulling up and John spotted Cadman driving and Carson in the front passenger seat.

John moved to intercept them, praying, praying to find Rodney inside.

Cadman stopped the car beside his and turned off the engine. She was laughing at something as she opened the door. "Sheppard, we didn't think you'd be back so soon."

John saw Rodney sitting in the back, and he sagged against the car. "Thank Christ you're all safe..."

"Yeah, we ran to the store to get some stuff for dinner. What's wrong?" Carson climbed out of the car and was helped Rodney get out of the backseat, while shooting confused looks at John.

John shook his head. "The suite has been tossed. We can't stay here any longer. I'm supposed to be headed to California tonight—I'd like you all to come with me because right now I don't know that any of you are safe here."

"What?" Cadman said, her eyes going to the cottage. "We were gone…an hour, if that."

"It was enough apparently." John looked over at Kyle, who had joined them. "Can you see about making arrangements for anyone who wants to join us to come to California? Lorne will be here in about a half hour too—he wanted to run by his apartment and was going to meet me back here."

"We're scheduled to go in the morning," Kyle said. "It'll take some time to make changes to the flight plan."

"Get started then. Whatever you can do will be fine." John moved over to McKay, needing to reassure himself that he really was okay. "For a few minutes, I thought... Fuck. I'm glad you're all safe."

"Aren't you glad you didn’t stay now?" Carson said in a chiding tone to Rodney who looked like he was still trying to catch up with what was going on. "He complained to high heaven that he wasn't up for a short trip."

John didn't care who was watching, he leaned in and kissed Rodney hard. "I'm very, very glad your doctor got his way this time."

Rodney's eyes were wide and very blue, staring up at him with a look of surprise and want and confusion.

"Come with me to California, please,” John pleaded. “I know it wasn't on the agenda originally, but I can't leave you here knowing they're still out there. Let me keep you safe."

"California? What? Why? What's going on?"

"I got a call from my brother that he needs me to be there tomorrow for a meeting,” John explained. “I want you to come with me, because someone was in our hotel room looking for something. It's not safe."

"Someone was in my room?"

"Yes. We aren't going to sleep here tonight."

"Oh god, no. I thought this place was safe. You said it was safe!"

"I thought it was." John apologized softly. "I had no reason to believe it wasn't. Whoever it was trashed the entire suite, so there is a remote possibility they weren't Genii, but I can't take that chance. Please, let me take you out of state for a little while."

"I am not going back in there," Rodney said, his voice rising as he pointed toward the cottage. 

"No, you aren't." John agreed. "I'm going to go back through to collect our personal belongings, then we'll go sleep at the airport if we have to. The jet, at least, is secure."

"It had better be because you guaranteed my safety," Rodney panicked.

"I will keep you safe. I swear. If necessary, I'll take you to my family's house in Kentucky. My father has more security on the place than Fort Knox."

"You’d better." It seemed the matter was settled.

John sighed with relief. He stepped back from McKay and glanced at Cadman and Carson. "I'm going inside to get our stuff, and I'll be back in a minute. You're both welcome to come as well, and we can go by your places to pick up anything you need. I'm going to extend the invitation to Lorne as well. You don't have to come since I know you have lives here, but you are most welcome if you can be away for a bit."

"Oh no. Carson has to come. I could get worse…you know, with the bruising and the injuries and whatnot," Rodney said, a few steps behind John.

John smiled slightly. He hoped the doctor would come, along with the two people he had come to trust very quickly to help him keep things safe. But he wasn't going to force them out of their homes if they didn't want to come. "So what do you say, Doc? You up for a little trip? Cadman?"

"Aye. I have to make sure my research assistant keeps working on my projects, but I can take a wee bit of a trip to keep and eye on the laddie," Carson said with a smile. 

"Good, thank you." John gave him a grateful smile, and glanced at Cadman.

"A free trip to California in a private jet. Sure. I think you can convince me," she said with a smile. "I'll pack up the house. Come on Kyle," she waved toward the other man as she headed to the cottage.

John leaned against the car, grateful it hadn't taken much convincing. Lorne pulled up a few minutes later, and John filled him in on what had happened, and made the offer of the trip to him as well.

"I need to finish the security here," Lorne warned with a frown. "But I'd rather not let McKay get that far away."

"It's up to you. Right now, that happens to be where I'm going, so it's easy enough to take everyone with me. I don't think he's safe staying in the city right now. Genii is proving to be more resourceful than I had thought they would be."

"Let me see what I can get done," Lorne said. "I'm going to be honest, that I'm not comfortable with him going to California."

"Hello," Rodney butted in. "He is right here and he is going wherever Sheppard is going. It's not like you were able to do anything to prevent me from getting kidnapped."

John had a little rush of warmth at that, but he just shot a smile back to Rodney. "I'm not forcing anyone to go anywhere. I have to be in California for a meeting, so it makes sense to go there first. Then, depending on the situation, I might go visit the family house in Kentucky. My father is a paranoid bastard, and I don't think the President has better security in place."

"McKay, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to California—" Lorne tried, but Rodney interrupted.

"You were obviously not thinking when I was kidnapped from my own home! You should have known that they'd come after me because I am a genius and irreplaceable!"

John stepped out, letting Rodney fight his own battles. 

"And I can't protect you if you're on the other side of the country!" Lorne frowned.

"You couldn't protect me when I was a block away from your house!"

"I wasn't in charge then! Now I am!"

"So? You supposedly have a brain and it didn't grow overnight. You should have stepped up if you thought there was trouble, but instead it was better for you to just coast along, hoping that nothing would go wrong. But guess what? Something went wrong. I was tortured for four days all because you didn't want to use the two brain cells you were given!"

"That's not true at all!” Lorne defended himself. “I fought Bates for protection for all of the top scientists! I was told if I didn't back down, I'd lose my job, and then I wouldn't be able to do any good for any of you."

"Right. Like he'd tell you that you couldn't protect the company's most valuable assets!"

"The fact remains that I fought until I had to make a choice between continuing to press the issue, or backing off and doing what I could behind the scenes. I was trying to run patrols by all your houses because chatter had me concerned. But there are several of you, and the night they took you, I was over near Zelenka's apartment. By they time I went by your place, they must have been gone already. All the lights were off, and your car was in the driveway, so I just assumed everything was okay."

"You assumed." Rodney crossed his arms over his chest.

Lorne snorted. "I didn't think you'd appreciate me waking you up every other night just to see if you were okay. Next time, I'll know to knock on the door until you answer."

"Next time I’m going to live in a bunker so I don't have to worry about people kidnapping me from my own home!"

"I might help you build it." Lorne made a face. 

John decided to step in again. "Look, I understand where you're coming from, trust me. If you're more comfortable coming, I'll make sure you have a secure computer and as much access to Atlantis as you need—including regular video conference calls if you want. If you want to stay, send along another person you trust to help with security."

"Hey, I want that, too," Rodney said, turning his attention back to John. He pointed at Lorne. "He doesn't deserve the good toys. He's already proved that he loses and breaks the best ones."

John gave him a small smile. "You can have whatever you want. Just give me or Kyle a list, and I'll make sure you get it."

"Really?" Rodney asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're not just humoring me to get me to shut up? People do that a lot. I know they do."

John shook his head, giving the other man a small smile. "I'm not humoring you. I figured you would want to get back to work eventually, and I was going to make the offer when you started to show signs of it. I know after a few days of recovery, I usually want something to do, too, so I figured you'd get to that point eventually."

"I'll make you a list," Rodney said, heading toward the cottage.

John reached out to catch his sleeve, letting go as soon as Rodney stopped. "I'd prefer to wait until the others get back with our stuff, and we're on the plane. I know it's secure there, and you can get me the list then. I'll make sure anything you want is either delivered before we leave, or waiting for you when we land."

"Oh, right," he said with a pause. "I can wait to make that list."

John nodded. "You can make it as soon as we're on the plane."

"I…I need some things from my house," Rodney said quietly, looking a little miserable.

John nodded. "We can go by there next then. We'll go in with you, and you can get whatever you need."

Rodney nodded, shifting uneasily on his feet.

Cadman and Kyle returned shortly after and they headed to Rodney's house. John was glad he had made arrangements to have all the blood all cleaned, so at least they weren't walking into that, but John knew it was still a mess. Rodney got quieter the closer they got to the house.

John paused outside the door. "You don't have to go in if you don't want to. You can tell us what you want, and we can go get it for you."

"No…I have to do it." Rodney took a breath and turned the key in the lock, pushing the door open. He moved quickly through the house heading deeper inside. But instead of heading to the master bedroom, he turned and opened another door. Flicking on the light, he headed downstairs into the basement.

John figured he must have some kind of storage down here. Since he had never come down here while searching for McKay, John had no idea what to expect.

He moved toward the back wall and touched one of the cinderblocks. Surprisingly, it slid to the side revealing a computer panel. He quickly punched in a few numbers and leaned in. It took quick retinal scan and flashed green. A door appeared a moment later, swinging open next to the panel.

"Wow." John stared in amazement.

"I built it into the house when I moved in," Rodney told him quietly, moving into the room. There wasn't much in it—a couple of shelves with various odds and ends and one laptop computer. Rodney grabbed the computer and headed back out.

"Do you need any of the rest of this? I assume it all must be important to be stored here." And given it was completely intact, Genii hadn't known about it, which was a good thing.

"No. It'll be fine here and they're nothing really important. I just didn't want them upstairs."

"Am I allowed to ask what's on the computer?" John asked.

"I guess. Some of it is yours," he shrugged. "Sometimes I work better at home, so I used to work on a few projects here. Nothing really current, but sometimes my brain needed to work on something new to get past a block I was having in the office. Most of it is wormhole theory, my personal project. Nothing very sellable, though."

"Cool. Someday, do you think we'll be able to travel to other planets through wormholes or something? I could totally see myself as an intergalactic explorer."

"I don't know. The math is complex and I haven’t really been working on it."

"Still, it's a cool idea."

"I guess," he paused, looking over John for a long moment. "I should get some clothes and whatnot."

"Whatever you need." John smiled indulgently.

"Right," he said, glancing away as he blushed. "I should get some clothes."

John chuckled softly and followed the other man back up the stairs.

Rodney moved quickly through the rest of the house and directly to the master bedroom. After laying the computer down on the bed, he moved to the closet and pulled out a bag, handing it off to John. The filled his arms with clothes and dumped them on the bed before turning back to the dresser where he pulled out underwear, undershirts, and socks.

John started putting the clothes in the bag as Rodney pulled them out, knowing the other man wanted to spend as little time here as possible.

Toiletries were last and by the time Rodney came back with an armful of products, John could see him physically shaking.

"That everything? If you forget something, you can always borrow mine, or we can buy you new."

"I…I think so."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

Rodney didn't protest, but picked up his laptop and clutched it to his chest as John took his heavy luggage. With a hand on Rodney's back, John moved him through the house and out to the waiting car. He signaled an all clear to Cadman's car before sliding into the back seat next to Rodney.

He breathed a sigh of relief to have that done. They ran by Cadman and Carson's houses next, both of them running in and out to pack a quick bag.

Rodney was quiet, curled in on himself, still clutching his laptop like a safety blanket.

John was glad when they got to the hangar. Security was stationed all around the area, and once they were on board, he knew it was a secure zone. The planes had been rated for all kinds of things that, at the time, had seemed a bit excessive, but his father's paranoia was seriously paying off now.

"Rodney, you're looking a little peaked. Why don't we get you to lay down for a little while," Carson suggested as soon as he caught sight of the scientist. Carson glanced at John, who waved expansively.

"There's a bedroom in the back. It's all his."

Carson nodded and took Rodney by the elbow and gently ushered him to the back of the plane. Lorne appeared at John's side a moment later. "Sir, I'm going to leave a team here at Atlantis and come with you. I'm not comfortable having McKay on the other side of the country."

"Whatever makes you most comfortable." John ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to make your life difficult, but I also don't think it's safe for Rodney anywhere in this area right now."

"I'm not sure it's safe for him anywhere right now," Lorne grimaced.

"Maybe not, but it's harder to hit a moving target."

"I guess," Lorne said with a shrug. "I'll take you up on the offer for a computer and a secure connection to Atlantis."

"Of course. We have some time, so I'll see if we can get it done before takeoff. If not, I'll make sure it's waiting for you when we land." John gestured Kyle over and explained what they needed. He went ahead and asked for the same setup for Rodney, so it would be there when he was ready for it.

Kyle nodded and moved off, already on the phone making the arrangements for the computers and the secure connections. Carson stepped out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

"How is he?"

"Shaken. I gave him something. His blood pressure is high enough as is. Sleep—even drug induced—will help."

"Yeah, even with the blood cleaned up, it was obvious someone had been in his space. I wish I could have spared him that, but I think he needed to see it, on some level," John sighed.

"Aye, he did. I just wished it would have been a few weeks from now."

"I know." John sat down heavily in one of the chairs.

"Sleep will help settle him. Thanks for giving him your bedroom."

"I rarely use it, even when I'm flying. I have a bad habit of falling asleep out here—it's closer to the cockpit."

"If you change your mind let me know and I can move him out here."

"No, he's fine. He needs the rest more than any of us right now."

Carson nodded, watching as Kyle wandered back into the plane. "Computers will be waiting for us on touchdown."

"Thank you." John gave him a tired smile. "I know you have to be exhausted. The bedroom is taken, but feel free to pass out any time you need to."

"Aye, we will," he paused before turning away. "I will have to make sure Rodney eats before too long. I don't know what you were planning on for food. Rodney's condition makes it essential that he eats regularly."

"The plane is always stocked with a wide range of food. I'll check to make sure none of it has any citrus. Any other allergies I need to look for?"

Carson shook his head. "No, that's it. His blood sugar can get a bit tetchy, so we need to be careful."

John pushed himself back up and wandered into the self-serve food pantry. He went through all the labels, making a small pile of things that had citrus in them to get rid of before takeoff.

"We'll restock in California," Kyle said wandering into the pantry. "I have reservations at the Ritz in San Francisco. Do you want me to have Andrew on call as well?"

"Thank you, and no on Andrew. I'm actually not interested in that sort of activity at the moment." John shrugged.

"Very well, sir. I have your suite reserved along with three additional rooms. I believe Doctor Beckett and Ms. Cadman are sharing."

"As long as it works for them, that's fine." John paused. "Put McKay in the extra room in my suite. I'll be more comfortable knowing he's close by. I can't protect him if he's in another room down the hall."

Kyle frowned. The extra room in his suite was usually his. "Of course, sir."

John glanced at him. "Is that okay with you? I don't want to kick you out, I'm just... really concerned about Rodney. I don't know that I can have him that far away. If so, I'll let him have my bed and I'll just sleep on the couch. It's not like the damn thing isn't big enough."

"Whatever you want is fine, sir," Kyle insisted. "I'll make the arrangements and ensure the suite is citrus-free."

"Thank you. And hey, for once you'll get a room all to yourself. You can hog all the hot water."

"That has never been an issue since we've been traveling. Anything else?"

"No, and thank you. You should get some sleep too. You've probably done more work than any of us, and I appreciate it. When the current crisis is over, take some vacation time. You've more than earned it."

"I vacation when you do, sir. It's the job. I'll get an ETA for our departure."

John shook his head, but let it drop. He'd have to take a vacation, even if he didn't do anything, so Kyle could have some time off. He made a mental note to check the calendar and put something in.

It didn't take long to get their flight plan updated and they were in the air, flying cross-country toward California. They'd left late and would land close to seven Pacific time. They'd probably be too late for dinner, but he'd have Kyle bring something to the suite in any case. The meeting with Manaria Corp. was in the early afternoon so he'd have plenty of time to prep in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

John was exhausted but his mind was wired, making sleep difficult at best. After finding his usual seat he stared out the window for a while, trying to get his mind to quiet, but finding it kept spinning in the same tight little circles. 

Kyle turned the lights down low and adjusted a few seats, letting his passengers settle down and nap. This was one place where they could all relax. Once on the ground again, everyone would be on edge.

It was too bad they couldn't just stay in the air. Stop to refuel, and then fly somewhere else. Live in the airplane. He snorted softly. Even he would get tired of it in time.

He heard the sound, the choked-off scream, and before he knew it he was moving toward the back of the plane, moving before anyone else realized there was something wrong.

John stepped into the dim bedroom. "Rodney?"

Rodney screamed again, caught in the throes of a nightmare.

John moved to the side of the bed, lightly touching the other man's arm. "Hey, buddy, wake up. It's just a nightmare. You're safe."

John heard someone at the bedroom door—probably Carson—but he didn't look up, concentrating on the man on the bed. It took another shake before Rodney finally woke, scream caught in his throat, body covered in sweat.

"Hey, you're safe." He kept his voice soft and soothing. "You're on a plane where no one but the people you know are on board. You're safe."

"Oh god…" Rodney whispered, letting John take his weight as he slumped against him.

John wrapped his arms around him, running his hands down Rodney's back. It felt surprisingly... right... to hold him this way. "It was just a nightmare. We're on our way to California now."

He nodded, forehead pressed against John's shoulder. "Plane. Remember."

"Exactly. A private plane even. So you don't have to deal with the unwashed masses."

John heard the door close quietly, leaving them alone. 

"Sorry I bothered you," Rodney apologized.

"You didn't bother me at all. I wasn't sleeping."

He leaned back, looking John in the face. "Still…you were doing something before you came rushing in here."

John grinned a little. "You interrupted my staring out the window with my mind wandering. So really, I wasn't doing anything at all."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." He licked his lips.

John smiled. "Want to try laying back down? You need the sleep. If you want, I'll stay here for a while and wake you up if it seems like you're starting another nightmare."

Rodney nodded, his finger sliding back and forth over the same spot on John's arm where he was gripping.

Gently, John laid them both down, arranging them so Rodney was in his arms, spooned back against him. "Comfortable?"

"You sure you're okay?" He shifted, glancing down the bed. "You still have your shoes on?"

"I forgot to kick them off. Hang on." John sat up and kicked his shoes off, then laid back down, pulling Rodney back into his arms. "There we go."

Rodney sighed and relaxed against him, shifting a few times before settling down. "Better."

"Good. Sleep. I'll be here to keep you safe."

"I know," Rodney said quietly even as his body fully relaxed into slumber.

John found his own eyes drifting shut along with Rodney's. The next thing he felt were the wheels touching down.

John sat up, blinking in confusion. "Wha time s'it?"

Rodney was out cold, drooling on the pillow.

John smiled softly, brushing back the hairs that had fallen out of place. He gently shook the other man awake. "Hey, I think we just landed."

He grunted and groaned. "What?"

"California. We're here."

"Already?" Rodney blinked, sleepily.

"Yeah. I slept the whole way too, which is a first for me. I'm going to go out and see if they need me for anything. Take your time getting up, okay? There's a bathroom through that door right behind you."

"Um…yeah, okay." He scrubbed a hand over his face.

John pulled his shoes on, then leaned over for a quick kiss to Rodney's lips. "I'll see you when you're ready to come out."

Rodney blushed and ducked his head, putting a smile on John's face as he wandered out front. Stretching, John headed for the coffee pot.

"The car is here, sir. We'll be at the hanger in three minutes," Kyle reported.

"All right. Rodney is up and moving too, so as soon as everyone is ready, we can head out. Did you manage to get any sleep?"

"Some," he admitted with a smile. "Do you want dinner in the suite?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind." John ran a hand through his hair. He was in desperate need of a shower. "I'm sure everyone is hungry. The finger foods we stock are decent, but no replacement for a meal."

"I'll get it set up. Italian okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

"I'll get it set up," Kyle said, looking toward the back of the plane as the bedroom door opened. Carson was on his feet, moving immediately to quietly talk to Rodney.

John sipped on his coffee, noting that Cadman and Lorne were also up and having what looked like some coffee, too.

It was an interesting group, to say the least, but it worked. That surprised him. He hadn't had any one single person, with the exception of his assistant, whom he felt comfortable with in a long time. To find a group of them, all at once... It was odd. But in a good way.

The limo was waiting for them as promised and they were whisked away to the hotel and the well-appointed suites on the top floor of the hotel.

For now, they all congregated in John's suite, where dinner was waiting.

The conversation was light and kept moving, but John wasn't the only one watching Rodney push his food around his plate. Carson—who John was realizing was worse than a mother hen when it came to the scientist's health—was scowling across the table.

John was sitting next to Rodney, so he leaned enough to bump the other man's shoulder. "Hey. The pasta not doing it for you?"

"It's fine," Rodney said without glancing up. "This is normal for you, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"The plane, the limo, the presidential suite...you know…this." His hand holding his fork waved in the air.

John was aware everyone was watching them. He sighed. "I grew up this way, yes, but I left this lifestyle for most of my adult life. I walked out at eighteen, and didn't even speak to my family more than was strictly necessary for nearly twenty years. I came back because I didn't feel like I had a choice when my Air Force career was over. This is all more than I'm comfortable with, but that's one battle I decided not to fight my brother and father over."

Rodney nodded, going back to pushing his pasta around on his plate. Cadman shifted in her seat, trying to pick up the conversation that had lulled. "This isn't bad to come back to."

John shrugged. "It comes with a price, which is why I left, and why I resisted coming back, at first. But it was this or be on the streets, and given those options, I'm not a stupid man."

Rodney snorted, but didn't comment. Cadman ignored him. "No, you're not. Because, come on. I could easily get used to this kind of treatment. If you need some personal security…" She wiggled her eyebrow at him.

John chuckled. "I might take you up on that. Security has been a sore point between my father and me for a while now. He thinks I should have it, and I've resisted. John glanced at Rodney. "I know what it looks like, the easy life, and if I wasn't on the inside, I'd probably agree. There are perks. I won't deny that. But it's not easy, and requires me to... compromise my own plans for life to conform to what my father expects of me."

Rodney shoved his chair back, pushing away from the table. "I'm going to head to bed. The travel's completely screwed up my clock. I'm down the hall somewhere?"

"Yeah, that room there." John pointed to the door. He sighed softly to himself. He couldn't change who his family was, or that there was money involved. Maybe it was better if McKay decided he was too much to take in. Painful, but John wasn't going to force himself on the man.

Rodney looked confused. "I'm in here?"

"I wasn't comfortable with being able to keep you safe in another suite. I'm over there, and Kyle gets the luxury of his own room for once. I'm assuming Lorne and Cadman will probably set up some kind of additional rotation so there's always a third person here as well."

"Oh," Rodney said, glancing around. "So I'm just going to…" He pointed over his shoulder before ambling through the main living room of the suite and to the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

John slumped down into his seat, running a hand across his face. His shoulder throbbed too, reminding him that he should probably have Carson take another look at it at some point as well.

"Aye, the mood swings are normal," Carson said with a quiet sigh. "As are the nightmares. I'd be worried if the lad wasn't having them."

"Well, this is the safest way for him to work through everything. It's hard to watch, though."

"Aye, it is," Carson nodded.

"Sir, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Lorne asked. "I'd like to get a run-down on your plans so we can make any necessary arrangements."

"I know I'm expected at a noon meeting, with a tech company we want to court for Atlantis. Supposedly they have some interesting patents, and we want to see about working with them. Other than that, as far as I know, I have no plans."

"Good. I'd like to go over your entire schedule while you're here so we can plan things. I'd rather not have him cooped up in the suite the entire time we're here. It's a nice suite, but in some ways it would still be a cage…albeit a gilded one."

"Agreed. You can put anything you need on the company tab. Kyle has the card and can take care of it. My guess is that my meeting will run a few hours, these initial meetings don't normally go more than that."

Lorne nodded. "I'll also talk with McKay tomorrow to see if there are any companies or people he'd like to meet with while he's here. He knows the area fairly well I believe." 

John nodded. "Just be careful with that. I met with the company he used to work with, and where his ex-wife still works. I got the impression the parting was... less than happy. We don't want to cause him any more stress than he's already under."

"Oh god in heaven. Is that where we are?" Carson asked, his eyes wide. "That's the last thing the lad needs is to have her show up."

"I agree. He doesn't need that kind of additional trauma of dealing with someone who wants to hurt him."

"Or make his paranoia go through the roof."

"Yeah." John sighed, and went to run a hand through his hair, but stopped with a wince as his shoulder reminded him that it wasn't in top form, and he had been ignoring that fact.

"And don't think I didn't see how careful you've been moving," Carson accused with a smile. "I'll look at your shoulder before you go to bed."

John gave him a sheepish smile. "Thanks. I tend to forget it's injured until it reminds me, forcefully if necessary."

"Aye and I donna want it to get infected." Carson offered a smile. "And thanks again for all of what you're doing. I canna imagine doing this without your help."

John smiled slightly. "You're welcome, although I don't think I'm doing anything you wouldn't have found a way around if I wasn't here. I'm grateful you're letting me help as much as I can."

"You're the boss, boss," Cadman said with a grin. "Not like we can say no."

He made a face at her.

"Oh no, we can't take that private plane with you. Oh no, we can't stay in this fabulous suite and have all our expenses paid," Cadman protested exaggeratedly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just be glad I'm the Sheppard you've got, instead of my father or brother. I'm the black sheep for a reason, you know."

Cadman laughed. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure I could sweet talk them, too."

"You could try. It might be entertaining to watch, if nothing else," John laughed.

"Good. I'll consider it a challenge when I finally meet them," she said, giving him a wide grin. She was trouble, that one.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

"Sir, did you want the files for Manaria now or in the morning," Kyle asked.

"Now I guess. I'm up since I took that nap, and I'd rather make sure I'm prepared when I walk in the door."

"I'll get that sorted for you," he said as the penthouse doorbell rang. Kyle detoured to the door, checking before he opened it. A delivery guy was there carrying two laptop boxes.

John marveled at his assistant's ability to juggle multiple things, watching as he got Lorne set up, got the secure connection going, and got John the files he needed. He decided to see about getting Kyle a raise, in addition to taking time off so he could go on vacation.

Room service popped in as well, clearing out the dinner dishes and leaving some dessert trays in its place. Carson and Cadman were busy poking around the suite while Lorne got himself situated on the new computer. Kyle walked up, a file in hand. "This is not everything. I'm still doing some research and I hope I'll be able to get it all in the morning."

"That's fine. Whatever we have is better than going in blind." John opened the file and started browsing through it.

Manaria was a typical technology company—average gains and losses—but nothing really stood out in terms of real opportunities. They were lacking in patents in recent years. And most of their technology had been focused on food production and specialized irrigation systems. 

It raised some red flags. Why were they even interested in this company? There wasn't anything here, at all, that sounded interesting for Sheppard Industries in general, much less Atlantis. "Kyle, did my brother specify what technologies he's interested in at this company when you talked to him?"

"No, he didn't," he said, glancing up from Lorne's computer. They were finishing the secure uplink to Maine.

John tapped the papers on the table, then got up to grab the phone, dialing his brother.

Five rings later and someone picked up—a woman. "Hello?"

"Hi. This is John, Dave's brother. Is he there?"

"Hi, John," she said all breathy. This was not his brother's wife. "Davey here is all tuckered out. Can I have him call you back in the morning?"

Davey? Holy shit his brother was cheating on his wife. John had to admit, he hadn't seen this coming. "Ah, it's kind of important. If he can talk for a few minutes, I'd appreciate it."

"He can't, no. Davey's been a bad boy tonight."

"Excuse me?"

"He'll call you back in the morning."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is important for our business, and I need to speak with my brother. You can go back to whatever you're doing after that—this shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

"I believe I said no." The phone disconnected a beat later.

John put his forehead against the glass of the window he had stopped next to while pacing on the phone. Great. Not only was his brother cheating on Amanda, he was doing it with a dominatrix who couldn't separate business from pleasure. Which meant he had to call his father, because something was off here and he didn't want to go in blind.

He dialed his father's cell and waited. It was early afternoon, so he should be up, but the call rang four times and went to voice mail.

John sighed to himself. "Hey, Dad, it's John. I'm going over the notes for the Manaria meeting tomorrow, and I'm a bit confused what I'm going in to negotiate for. I tried to get Dave, but a woman is answering his phone and hanging up on me when I ask for him. If you could give me a call back, I'd appreciate it."

"Sir," Kyle said, approaching quietly. "Mister Lorne will remain until morning. Doctor Beckett and Miss Cadman have retired. Did you need anything else?"

"Did you know my brother is having an affair?” John asked. “Apparently with a dominatrix, if I'm reading things right. She hung up on me when I asked for him."

"Huh. That's new. A month ago there was some…Coleen girl, I think."

"I thought he and Amanda were a love match."

"They are…exploring their sexual needs, or so she told me a few months ago." Kyle shrugged. "I think it all started with the Swing party they went to, honestly."

"Christ." John shook his head. "I don't care who he sleeps with, but I'm a bit annoyed that he's allowing it to get in the way of work. He's the one who sent me here, and frankly, from the files we have, there's nothing at this company to warrant our attention, at all. They haven't even filed a new patent in three years."

"I noticed that,” Kyle agreed. “I was looking into the company more, but I haven’t been able to get anywhere."

"Yeah, and that has me worried that neither of us can figure out what I'm here for. I don't want to go in blind tomorrow. I just left a voicemail for my father, and I'm going to do some research of my own now. Let's see if either of us can come up with a reason why we've been sent to this particular company."

Kyle looked at his watch. "Your father should be up."

"I know. And even if he's sleeping, he always answers his cell phone."

"He did have several meetings today."

"Still." John had to admit, he was starting to get worried. It was rare he couldn't get hold of one of the two of them. That they were both unavailable at the same time was... exceedingly odd. "Do you know anyone in the building there? Someone you could call to make sure everything is okay?"

"No, I don't."

"Damn." John swore. He didn't really know anyone at the office either. He spent as little time there as possible. "How hard would it be to hack into the security system to verify their whereabouts?"

"Difficult. Is this really necessary? We can just go talk to them tomorrow."

John shook his head. "It might be nothing, but I've got an odd feeling. I'll feel better if I can verify that my father's in a meeting and my brother is playing." John walked over to where Lorne was working. "Is the Miko who was doing all the hacking for Atlantis still at work?"

"It's two in the morning, sir. She went home hours ago. But I'll keep digging, sir. You should get some rest," Kyle suggested.

Huffing, John shook his head. "Now I'm not going to be able to sleep. I hate walking into something blind, and the fact that both of the people who could answer my questions are unavailable has me worried. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong here. Manaria has nothing we want, and from all the records we've got, has been stagnant for years. So why was I rushed here, and why, inexplicably, can I not get hold of my brother or father?"

"It is two in the morning where your brother is and your father is in meetings. They are reasonable excuses."

"Maybe. But my father answers his cell phone no matter where he is or what time it is, and my brother might be indulging in kinky sex on the side, but he has never, ever let it stop him from work, and I've called later than this. Hell, he answered the phone once in the middle of sex with Amanda. I'm pretty sure I heard her orgasm while we talked."

"I don't know what to tell you, sir,” Kyle shrugged. “I can't change their availability."

"I know." John sighed. "I'm just worried, especially with this coming on the heels of the Genii.

"Get some rest, sir. It'll work out well, I'm sure."

John snorted. "With my luck, Lorne and Cadman will be the ones trying to rescue me tomorrow from armed idiots."

"Well, I hope not, sir," Kyle said, following John to the master bedroom in the suite. "Have a good night."

"Thanks." John sat on the edge of the bed. He was restless, but he knew, at this point, there was nothing more he could do.


	7. Chapter 7

He didn't see Rodney in the morning before he left for Manaria Corp. Kyle drove, leaving the rest of the group to relax at the hotel.

Before he had left, John had made sure he had a few knives in addition to his gun secured on his person. He had tried both his father and brother again, and still wasn't able to get hold of either of them.

The secretary at Manaria was pleasant and gave him coffee as he waited for his noon appointment. The building was nice and not far from some other high tech firms—other firms which made a better match.

John was edgy. He didn't drink his coffee, knowing he was taking paranoia into a new realm, but he just couldn't relax. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Michael Smeadon, the CEO, of Manaria met him personally in the lobby and ushered him back to the main conference room. "I’m so glad we were able to set up this meeting," Smeadon said. "I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience to you."

"Not at all." John pasted on his smile and dragged out his charm. So Mariana had requested the meeting. Interesting.

"Did you have a bad commute in? I know the roads around here can be difficult in the morning."

"Not at all. My driver didn't have any problems—but we always leave a little early in urban areas, just to be on the safe side."

"Oh course, of course," he said, walking into the conference room. "Let me introduce one of our investors, Lance Cowen."

John fought not to show any surprise. He knew Cowen was the owner of Genii from the research he had done while rescuing Rodney. He was in seriously deep shit.

"Mister Sheppard, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard such good things about Sheppard Industries and it's a pleasure to finally sit down to talk with you."

"Mister Cowan." John glanced at Smeadon. "I was under the impression this meeting was about your company and technologies, and not Genii Corp., however."

"It is, of course. Manaria is a division of Genii Corporation." Smeadon smiled at him. "And Genii has always been generous in its support of our company and objectives—especially when it comes to purchases."

Fuck. This was really, really bad. "I see. I'm afraid then, that I'm not sure I'm going to be able to deal with you. I don't believe Genii has anything that Sheppard Industries is currently interested in."

"I can see your confusion. Manaria is interested in purchasing Atlantis Corporation," said Smeadon.

"Ahh. I wish you had told me that ahead of time—I could have saved us all some time. Atlantis is not for sale at this time."

Smeadon looked confused. "But the prospectus has been on the market for months now."

"Perhaps, but things have changed at my company. I have recently taken over control of the division for Sheppard Industries, and I am re-evaluating everything. At the moment, nothing is for sale."

"Then it appears that we've all wasted our time," Cowen said, rising to his feet. "I had been looking forward to working with you on this."

"I apologize for the confusion. Perhaps in the future." John rose as well. His hackles were up on all fronts and he wanted to get the hell out of here.

"Perhaps in a few weeks once you've reviewed all the company records you'll change your mind. Please remember we were the first to offer." Cowen smiled at him.

"I will. Thank you for your time." John started for the door.

"Are you sure you won't change your mind now?" Cowen asked. "You won't get a better offer."

"I'm sure. It's not for sale," John reiterated firmly.

"For now."

John gave him a tight smile and opened the door. "If you'll excuse me then, gentlemen, I have to be going. Have a nice rest of the day, and again, sorry for wasting your time."

He didn't wait to be escorted from the building. As soon as he was in the car, he was on the phone calling the suite.

"Hello?"

"Lorne?"

"Yes," the man replied, drawing out the word. "You need something?"

"This is Sheppard. John. Manaria, the company I was brought here to meet, is a secret division of Genii. Cowan was here. Lock down security. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes."

"Cadman, Beckett, and McKay went to Ghirardelli to get some chocolate. They're not here."

"Fuck." John looked at Kyle, who was driving. "Head to Ghirardelli. We'll try to meet up with them there. If they make it back to the suite before I do, let me know. Cowan was trying to buy Atlantis from me, and given their track record, I don't get the impression 'no' is in his vocabulary."

"They…what?"

"Yeah." John was pissed. At his father and brother, at Genii. "As soon as everyone is back, I'm going to pull up the contract from when we originally bought Atlantis, and make sure my father can't sell it out from under me. As it stands, the contract he signed with me when I took control of the division gives me quite a bit of power, but I want to make sure."

"I'll try to get hold of Cadman now."

"All right. I'm headed that direction now as well. Hopefully one of us can catch up with them."

"I'll call you back and let you know," Lorne said, hanging up.

John tossed the phone onto the seat next to him. "Kyle, Cowan mentioned that Atlantis has been on the market for a while now. This is the first I'm hearing about it. Do you know if my father had plans to sell off the division? It's been highly profitable for us."

"I…didn’t know, sir. I know there have been talks about re-structuring."

"Just more bullshit. No wonder neither of them would get back to me. They knew damn well how pissed off I was going to be. As soon as we're back, I need copies of our original contract from when we purchased them, and the one I signed with my father giving me control of the division. I need to make sure he can't go around me."

"Of course, sir," Kyle reassured as he drove through downtown San Francisco toward the tourist areas.

"Damn it." John stared out the window. "I really hate these stupid games, and it seriously pisses me off that my father is playing them with me."

Kyle was silent, knowing John wasn't really looking for an answer. His cell rang a few moments later, Lorne's number on the screen.

"Tell me you got hold of them," he barked.

"McKay was arguing about the price of the chocolate with the girl at the counter," Lorne chuckled.

John relaxed a bit. "Are they headed back to the hotel, or do I need to meet them there?"

"Cadman had been eyeing the pub there to grab some food. Do you need them to return?"

John wanted to say yes, he did. He wanted Rodney somewhere safe. "If she thinks it's secure, I'll trust her judgment."

"No one knew they were going there. Hell, they didn't know they were going there until McKay started demanding chocolate."

"All right. I'll trust her,” John decided. “Just tell her to keep us posted, and keep an eye out. I'll head back to the hotel then."

"I'm sure they can fit two more at the table if you want lunch," Lorne suggested and John could tell he was smiling.

John glanced up, and saw they were almost to the area. "Well, we are just about there..."

"I'll let Cadman know you're incoming. Besides, you can help with the packages. Let me know if you need me down there."

"All right. Thanks." John knew he wasn't going to be able to relax until he had Rodney in his sights again. "They're saving us seats at the pub,” he informed his assistant. “And we apparently get to help carry packages."

"Of course, sir. I'll drop you in front and go find some parking," Kyle said, easily sliding up to the curb across the street. They had been right there.

"Thanks." John smiled at him and jumped out, heading for the pub, eyes already scanning for his people.

He spotted the bags first, piled on a table.

He saw Rodney next, and felt a coil of tension release. He was still worried, but as long as he could see the other man, he could protect him. "Hey there. Looks like you guys have been busy."

"Hey!" Rodney answered with a smile. "You're finished already?"

"Yeah. They wanted to buy a division that isn't for sale. It was quick to wrap up." He slid into the seat next to Rodney and stole a fry off his plate.

"Hey! Get your own."

"I will, but in the meantime, you already have some. Don't worry, I'll share mine when they come, too."

Rodney pulled the plate away from John's hand. "Last time I checked, food was sacred."

"Come on, Rodney," Cadman said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "He's the one buying. Let him have a fry."

John waved a hand. "It's fine." He gave her a small smile. She was the only one who knew what had happened, and for the moment, he wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want to ruin Rodney's day. He reached over and stole one of her fries. "I'll spread the theft around until mine get here."

"Have at it, sir," she said as she waved over the waitress. "We'll need two more menus."

"I've never eaten here before. What's good?" John asked.

"The fries are good," Rodney said around a mouthful.

"We haven't ordered our main courses yet," Carson added. "Rodney demand two orders of fries as soon as we sat down."

"Good choice. These are awesome fries," John chuckled. "So other than fries and chocolate, what else did you guys buy?"

"Coffee. And more chocolate." Cadman's hand waved toward the bags taking up the entire adjacent table and chairs.

"That's a lot of coffee and chocolate," John laughed.

"I don't get back here very often for good reason," Rodney said before he shoved another fry in his mouth. He got the waitress' attention when she dropped off the two extra menus. "Can we get another order of French fries? He's eating them all."

"I've had two!" but John was laughing softly.

Rodney ignored him. "And I want a P Mack medium rare. Also I want a pint of Guinness." He waved his hands. "Snap snap."

John kept laughing softly. "I'll have the same, except a coke instead of beer, please."

She looked around the table, taking the rest of the orders. Kyle seated himself just in time and ordered quickly, apparently feeling Rodney's glare from across the table.

John leaned back, letting his eyes roam over the place, automatically noting the people, the exits, the comings and goings.

He hadn't been in a place like this in years and Cadman had them in a good place—easily defendable.

Rodney was back against a wall, so it was easy to see anyone coming at their table. It was as perfect as it could be in a situation like this, and the public location made it even better. John let himself enjoy the lunch and the conversation.

And what a lunch it was. Cadman got Rodney talking about some of the scientists he used to work with and off he went. He had an opinion about everything and everyone and it was so damn amusing to hear his uncensored thoughts about each and every thing they'd worked on.

John found that the more he got to know the man, the more attracted to him he was. Hell, he was tempted to throw him over the table and ravish that expressive mouth here and now.

Kyle's phone rang toward the end of the lunch and he excused himself to take the call, heading outside.

John just hoped it wasn't any more curve balls. He had enough of those for today.

Kyle returned a few minutes later, a frown on his face. When John raised an eyebrow, he shook his head. Apparently it needed to wait until they were alone.

John debated, but since Kyle sat back down, he figured it could wait at least until they were getting ready to leave.

"Rodney McKay," someone said as they approached the table. "You're the last person I expected to see here."

John recognized the voice but was still surprised to see Samantha Carter standing there.

John watched as Rodney's expression hardened. "The last time I checked I was allowed to go anywhere I wanted."

John rose, making sure she saw him, and taking a great deal of pleasure from her shock. "Doctor Carter."

"I see you know Rodney," Carter said with a pinched look.

"I do." He gave her a wolfish smile. "And you're intruding on a private lunch." He gestured to the rest of the table. "As you can see, we're just finishing up, but I'm sure you and I can talk again later. I assume you—or Doctor Jackson—has had a chance to look over the documents I left last time we spoke."

"No, we haven't," she said. "We're a small company and have been quite busy. I'm sure we'll get to it."

"That's too bad. We're getting ready to move forward, and it would be a shame to lose out on potential business. I'll touch base with Doctor Jackson later this week. Thank you for reminding me about that."

"Of course," she said, her eyes moving back to Rodney. "So I see you've stooped to selling yourself now to get business. But then, you were always quick to the finish."

John's expression hardened. "Doctor Carter, I'll thank you to please leave now. You're coming close to harassing a valuable employee of mine, and a good friend to boot."

"Oh, we're old friends, aren't we, Rodney?"

"I know exactly what you are, Doctor Carter,” John snapped. “A selfish, jealous bitch is who looking to hurt a man who had the gall to have feelings for her at one point. I'm not impressed with you, Carter. I wasn't impressed with you the first time we met, and you aren't doing anything to change that initial impression now."

"Just leave, Sam," Rodney said quietly. "And it's not like I'm breaking the restraining order by being in the city. The last I checked you didn't own it."

John was tempted to pull rank on her—or a gun. He had more money and power, even here in her hometown by virtue of who he was. If she didn't leave soon, he was going to see about having her permanently banned from the entire area.

She flushed at Rodney's words, narrowing her eyes. "Fine."

John stayed standing until she left, then sat down hard. He looked over at Rodney. "No offense, but your ex is a serious bitch. If the patents her company owns weren't so attractive, I'd probably try to fuck them over, just for spite."

Rodney shrugged. "Things changed. She changed."

"It happens. But still. She's a total bitch."

"She has her reasons," Rodney said simply, not defending himself. Carson was tight-lipped.

"No reason is good enough for that kind of behavior. Especially not in public like that." John shook his head. "Why don't we head back to the hotel and rent a movie and eat chocolate?"

Rodney snorted. "Last I checked I wasn't a teenage girl." He shoved back his chair. "I need to piss." He headed off toward the bathroom without a backwards look.

John sighed. Carter had managed to undo all the work of relaxing Rodney they had spent the day trying for. He wanted to throttle her. "Who said anything about teenage girls? I happen to like both chocolate and movies."

Carson pushed back his chair and followed Rodney. Cadman smiled tightly. "That was…" She sighed. "How do they find him?"

"No idea. Today is just a red letter day all around." He sighed and looked over at Kyle. "Did you need to talk to me about whatever the call was earlier?"

He nodded. "Later is fine."

"All right. Don't let me forget."

"Course not, sir," he said with a smile. "Want me to get the check settled?"

"Yes, please, and thank you."

"I'll bring the car to the front for you after I settle the bill. Give me ten minutes." Kyle stood up and ambled over to the waitress, talking quietly with her.

John sighed again and glanced at Cadman. "I'll give Rodney and Carson another minute or so, then go get them."

"I swear if it wasn't a public place that I like I would have knocked her flat," Cadman growled with a growl. "And what's worse is that he still cares for her, even after everything."

"Hell, I was contemplating being a total douchebag and using my family's name to get her banned from the whole area,” John agreed. “It was that, or thinking about shooting her. She must have been a very different person, because I can't see anyone, much less someone as smart as McKay, falling for a bitch like that."

Cadman chuckled. "I don't know what happened—entirely. But I do know there's a restraining order against him."

"I'll have to look into it. If he'll let me, that is. I don't want to walk all over him, just because I hate his ex-wife."

"You and me and Carson and…It's a long list, trust me. Elizabeth was glad to hire him after everything happened. It was a bonus for the company, that's for sure." She glanced to the bathroom. "You want to round them up? I'll stay with the bags."

"All right. I'll be right back." John headed back for the bathrooms.

He weaved his way through tables, following the signs to the restrooms. When he opened the door to the men's room he spotted Carson standing outside a booth, leaning against the wall. He glanced up at John, but continued talking. "You know you're acting like an idiot, hiding in a public bathroom of all places. Other people need to use the loo, too, you know."

"Right. Because it's always good for you new boss to know you have restraining orders against you from your ex-wife!"

"Actually,” John interjected, “said boss already knew there was bad blood, and frankly thinks you probably let her bully you into it. If you'd let him, he'd like to look into it for you. Honestly, it would make him feel better since right now he's contemplating shooting her somewhere painful." John leaned against the door, so no one else could come in behind him.

There was a crash and a thud, but John didn't see Rodney on the floor, so that was a good sign.

Carson leaned forward and pounded on the door. "You're making an arse of yourself. Get out of there."

"I promise, I don't think any less of you for her behavior, Rodney." John smiled slightly at the stall door. "I think she's a bitch whom you had feelings for, and because of that, she took advantage of you. There's no shame in that. We've all been there at some point."

There was a moment of silence and then John heard movement and a flush. Rodney came barreling out of the stall a beat later, a red embarrassed flush on his face. He stormed to the sink and washed his hands, getting water everywhere. 

John gave him an easy smile.

He moved to leave, but realized John was barricading the door. Instead of looking at him or asking him to move, he stood there, staring at his feet and waited, his body radiating anger and tension.

"Hey." John reached out, not forcing the other man to look up, but touching his face very softly. "Having an ex who's less than perfect is something most of us have to deal with. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, and it doesn't reflect on you at all. If it would make you feel better, I can call up a few of my exes and let them air all my dirty laundry."

"No, thank you.,” Rodney refused. “They're probably all hot, too, and then I can imagine you having sex with them. I'd rather keep that image out of my head."

"I wouldn't say they're hot. I've dated a wide range of people in my time. I have an ex wife, actually, who hates my guts and blames me for most of the world's problems. I think she was attractive at some point, but bitterness has changed her."

"Can we go? Please?" Rodney begged.

"Whatever you want." John moved to the side.

Rodney pulled the door open and stalked out, making John and Carson follow behind. He started grabbing bags, threading his fingers through the handles.

John sighed. He apparently hadn't made anything better. As a group, they trailed Rodney out of the pub, toward the car where Kyle was waiting.

The trunk was open and Rodney dumped his bags in, immediately turning around to go back for more—not realizing John, Carson, and Cadman had grabbed the rest.

John found himself suddenly with an armful of Rodney and bags. He couldn't stop the reaction his body had, getting hard and tight with want feeling that body up against his, even briefly.

"What the hell!" He tried to shove himself away and almost overbalanced and would have fallen on his ass if it weren't for John catching him.

"Hey, easy! Let's not add injury to the list of the days activities."

"What they hell were you doing there? Are you trying to injure me?"

"Carrying your bags to the car for you," John replied.

"Isn't that what you have lackeys for?"

"No. I generally try to do as much for myself as I can get away with."

Rodney sighed and closed his eyes. John swore Rodney was silently counting to ten. "Can we go?"

"Of course." John let go of him and stepped back. A few moments later and they were all in the car and headed back to the hotel. Carson, Cadman and Rodney had taken a cab earlier, making it easier.

"How long were you planning on staying in California?" Carson asked quietly into the silence.

"We can leave whenever you want. My business is done here. So where do you want to go, and when do you want to leave?"

Carson shrugged. "I was just trying to figure out what your plans are. We're more or less at your mercy."

"You can come and go whenever you'd like. I don't want anyone to feel like I'm forcing you into anything. But my plans are open right now."

"It's not like your business plans have to change because we're here," Carson said. "We can figure out something to do if you need to take care of things."

"Trust me, the business I thought was here was a waste of my time."

"Manaria wasn't the right fit?" Carson asked.

John hadn't wanted to tell them this now, but he also had a feeling that hiding things from Rodney was a very, very bad idea in the long run. He sighed. "It turns out they're owned by Genii, and since their usual tactics didn't work, they were trying to buy Atlantis. I made it very clear it's not for sale and walked out."

Rodney head immediately popped up, his eyes zeroing in on John. "What! Didn't you know that going in? What kind of an idiot doesn't do a background check?"

"The kind who tried, and was blocked at every turn. I haven't been able to get hold of my brother or father for two days now. I knew something was fishy, but I didn't know what until I got there."

"So you move the appointment until you have all the information. Or what, did you think your hips and your hair and your charm would get you want you wanted?"

Carson's hushed, "Rodney!" was ignored.

John looked away, sighing softly. "The charm is why I'm sent in, Rodney. My father doesn't want me for my amazing business skills. He sends me in to clients he hasn't made headway with and expects me to fix whatever his hard attitude broke in the first place."

"So you were sent in to fix Atlantis and then sell it. Is that it?"

"No. I got tired of being my father's highly paid whore and demanded a contract giving me control of Atlantis since it seemed like a place that was actually doing something that could make a difference. I felt like I could actually help and do something productive there."

"Rodney, he's done nothing except try to help us or did you conveniently forget that part?" Carson asked, poking him in the arm with a finger. "Stop with the accusations against someone who went to bat for you."

"No, it's okay. He has a right to know. It's not like I've kept it a secret." John sighed softly, more to himself than anything else. "It's his life that's been fucked up; I'd be pissed at pretty much everyone if I were in his position."

"No, you don't have to explain yourself," Carson said, shaking his head. "Rodney needs to stop with the paranoia and realize he has people willing to help him."

The car lapsed into silence after that, and fortunately they arrived at the hotel a few minutes later. They made it up to the suite without incident, and John retired to his room to check his messages and see if his family had bothered to return any of his calls.

He had one missed call from his brother and a voice mail. John sighed. Did he want to listen to it?

Why not? It wasn't like his day was getting any better. He hit play.

"Hey, John, it's Dave. You called last night? Sorry about that. Did you have a question? Call me."

He deleted it and dialed his brother's office.

It took two rings before his brother picked up. "David Sheppard."

"It's John."

"John, hi. Hang on one second," David said. John heard him put the phone down and a shuffle of fabric. A door closed a moment later and then Dave was back. "Sorry. Look, about last night."

"So. Dominatrix huh?"

"Yeah, Amanda doesn't need to know about it. Am I clear?"

"She won't hear it from me." John sighed. "I was just calling because I had questions about Manaria. But they're answered now. Did you know they're owned by Genii, which is the company that was just holding and torturing one of our scientists? And that given that tactic didn't work, they're now trying to buy Atlantis outright?"

"What? No. That's not possible,” Dave objected. “I mean, there are prospectuses out about a number of out divisions—it's always to keep out options open. I thought the Atlantis one was pulled back because of what you pulled with dad and Atlantis."

"Apparently Genii doesn't care. Cowan, the owner of Genii, popped out as soon as I was seated and more or less threatened me if I didn't sell. You'd be proud. I didn't even hit him once. The guy is just slimy."

"Look, I didn't send you there to set you up. Atlantis had them on their list of possible patents acquisitions."

"Dave, I was looking over the patents Manaria holds. They have nothing except three-year-old agricultural stuff. Someone hacked our records and added them to the list to get you to send me here if they were on any lists."

"That can't happen."

"Actually, it can. Once things settle here, I'd like to see if the Atlantis people would go over all of our systems. These people are scary smart. They'd find holes in our security we'd never even think to ask about."

"We don't have holes in our security," Dave growled.

"Everyone has holes in their security Dave. It's just that most people don't address them until there's been a breach."

"I’m not going to argue with you. Our security is fine. I'm sorry the meeting didn't work out. Was there something else?"

John shook his head to himself. "No. I just thought I'd update you on what's going on."

"Good, good. And again about last night, no one needs to know about it."

"I don't care what you do in the bedroom, Dave, and I assure you, I have no desire to gossip about it."

"I talked with her in the morning about that call and it won't happen again."

"Hey, it's your life. Just be glad it was me and not Andrea who was trying to reach you last night."

"Right." He sighed. "Thanks."

"No problem. I'll talk to you later."

"Night," Dave said, hanging up.

John tossed the phone aside on the bed and laid back, staring at the ceiling.

What a mess. 

At some point later, a knock on his door jolted him out of his thoughts. The door opened a moment later and Rodney popped his head in. "Are you decent?

John sat up on his elbows. "I'm dressed. I don't know if I'm ever what anyone would call decent. Come on in."

"Sorry to bother you, but it was been brought to my attention that I owe you an apology," he said as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Apparently, it seems like I'm not appreciative of what you've done when I call you an idiot. Repeatedly."

John laughed softly. "It's fine. I understand where you're coming from. I'm not really offended. I'm not helping you because I want to garner favor from anyone. I'm helping you because I like you and I want to keep you safe."

"You do that a lot."

"Do what?"

"The laughing."

John looked up at the ceiling, lying back down. "I guess. I don't think I laugh much in general. You seem to inspire me to relax a little."

Rodney snorted. "Right. I'm uptight, opinionated, and balding. The perfect muse."

"You're smart. Sexy. You aren't afraid to say what you think. Your observations are always pointed, but hilarious." John waved a hand. "I could go on. I find you interesting, amusing and, yes, attractive."

"It's good to know my boss is delusional, too." Rodney sighed. "Either way, I’m sorry about today. Lunch had been nice until it was all shot to hell."

"Not your fault. I was having a good time too. And stop calling me your boss. It's weird. That's my father."

"No, that's your boss. You're my boss."

"No, that's Doctor Weir. I'm... a consultant. And personal security guard."

"No, you own the damn company,” Rodney argued. “Therefore, you are the boss."

"Again, my father owns the company. I get a paycheck and share a name with him." John shook his head, still counting spots on the ceiling. For a high-end hotel, they had a dirty ceiling. "And why are we arguing about this again?"

"Because you're dense if you don't understand it. Your name is on the paperwork as owner of Atlantis. You are Elizabeth's boss. You are my boss. It's not a difficult concept."

"Maybe I'm just not comfortable taking credit for something I had no hand in. I didn't earn it in any way."

"That's how it works in business these days."

"That doesn't mean it's fair. But that's my own issue to deal with, I guess. Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It's a fact of life that I'm fully aware of," Rodney said with a sigh. "I used to like this city, you know, back a few years ago. There was always good food and the weather was okay. I haven't been back here in a few years. It's kind of weird to be here, honestly."

"We can leave any time you want." John levered himself up again so he could see Rodney's face. "There's nothing keeping us here now. Is there somewhere you'd like to go?"

Rodney was slumped against the door, arms cross over his chest hugging himself a little. "No and I guess that's the real issue. I have nowhere to go." 

John patted the bed, inviting the other man to come sit down if he wanted. "Well, is there somewhere you'd like to see? Or there's always Kentucky. I could teach you to ride a horse."

"No. I wish this whole thing never happened. I actually liked that house."

"I wish I could fix it for you. But I don't know what I can do to help."

"Nothing, really," Rodney said, shaking his head. "You've done enough. I just need to pick up and get back to work."

"Well, tell me where you want to go to set up, and I'll make it happen for you," John asserted.

Rodney finally looked up, looking at John. "It's not that easy."

"I know." John met his gaze. "But we have to start somewhere. So pick a starting point."

"Why do you care what happens to me?"

"I've already told you that. I like you. I'm attracted to you. I want to keep you safe."

"You've known me for less than a week. You can't know that."

"What can I say, I've always been quick to decide if I like someone or not. I like you."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "That was a mistake. I'm broken. I'm sure Carter told you that already."

"Rodney, I had one conversation with your ex before today, and that was before I came to Atlantis at all. I was there looking to see about acquiring or licensing some of their patents. I thought she was a bit of a bitch then, and I tried to deal with a Doctor Jackson as much as possible. I didn't even know how you were connected to her until later."

"Daniel's fine,” Rodney nodded. “A bit of a bore, but he was never malicious."

"He seemed like a decent guy. He also seemed very embarrassed by the way Carter was behaving toward me."

"She has issues, but I guess at this point that's immaterial and a statement of the obvious. In all fairness, we both have issues," Rodney admitted. 

"Who doesn't?"

"I guess." He sighed again, turning his head toward the windows. "I guess I'll pack up my stuff since your business here is done. Are we heading back to Maine tonight or in the morning?"

John grimaced. "Whatever you want, Rodney. I'm on your schedule. I'll go where you want, when you want."

"The last I checked, I worked for you. And we're not having that painful conversation again."

John sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to Kyle and he can take you back to Maine tomorrow."

Rodney nodded, lips pressed in a tight line. "Okay. I'll make sure I'm ready." He shifted, opening the door. "Thanks." He closed the door quietly behind him as he left, leaving John alone once again.

John closed his eyes. Seriously, he was having a shitty day. He couldn't even seem to make a simple conversation go well.

Surprising himself, he ended up napping for part of the afternoon, only getting startled awake when someone knocked on his door.

"Wha?" He sat up partially stiff from the odd position he had fallen asleep in.

"Sorry to wake you, sir, but dinner is here. Whenever you're ready." Kyle stepped out just as quietly as he came in.

John sat up slowly, rubbing his face. He decided he wanted a shower and to change clothes before doing anything else. He shed his clothes, being careful of the shoulder he still hadn't had Carson look at again. He checked it out in the mirror, and it was showing signs of infection. Damn. He was going to have to have it done tonight. He turned the water as hot as it would go and leaned against the wall, letting it pound out some of the tension in his shoulders.

He felt better, looser by the time he finished. He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt before padding out barefoot into the main living room of the suite. Dinner was under metals covers and only Kyle was in the room.

"Everyone else eat already? Or did they go back to their own rooms?"

Kyle looked up, confused. "They're at the airport, sir. You requested their return to Maine."

John paused. "Ah. I didn't realize they were leaving this soon."

"Doctor McKay said you wanted them to go back to Maine and they decided to take an overnight flight. I booked them in first class," Kyle paused. "Is that not what you wanted?"

John sighed. "It's fine. Thank you. Remind me though, that I need to go see a doctor tomorrow. My shoulder is getting infected, and I never had a chance to have Beckett take a look at it again."

"I'll ask the house doctor to come up tonight." Kyle moved immediately to the phone and called downstairs.

John wasn't really hungry, so he moved more food around the plate than he actually ate.

"The doctor will be up within the hour. Do you require anything else?"

"No, thank you." John paused. "Oh, what was the call about earlier? Anything important?"

"Your father wanted to know when you would be arriving at the house."

"I'm going to the house?"

"He thought you were from earlier conversations."

"I had thrown it around, but nothing was ever set. Right now, as far as I know, there's no where I need to be."

"Of course, sir. Anything else?" Kyle paused and then held his finger up. "I've taken the liberty of arranging to have the new laptop returned."

John looked up, surprised. "They could have taken them with them. It's not like we can't afford it."

"I told them as much, but they refused. We can ship it to the office in Maine if you wish."

"Please do that. They're already set up, and it's not like Atlantis isn't one of our companies. So it's an investment."

"Of course. I'll cancel the pick-up and box them up for transport. Directly to the office?" Kyle checked.

"Yes, please."

"I'll get it taken care of. Did you wish to make any additional appointments while you were here? I know we were still waiting to hear back from Thor."

"No, I'm not up to dealing with Carter again this soon. I might do something I'd regret," John ground out.

"Of course. The P&L reports from Atlantis are in your inbox for the first quarter. There are also several items on request that were not put into the budgeting process last year. You'll need to look those over before approving them through."

"I'll take care of it tonight."

Kyle nodded. "Anything else?"

"No, go get some sleep. It's been a long last few days."

"Yes, of course, sir. Have a good night," he said with a nod, heading to the second bedroom in the suite.

John leaned back against the chair, getting up to let the doctor in, and spending a few minutes wincing while he cleaned it out. His manner was certainly not the same as a certain Scottish man.

"I'll have to give you some antibiotics," the doctor said as he finished.

"Write me the prescription and I'll get it filled."

"Did you need pain medication as well," he asked as he pulled out his script pad, scribbling on it.

"No, I'm fine on that front, thank you."

"Of course," the doctor said, signing the bottom and pulling the sheet from the pad. "That should do it."

"Thank you for taking the time this evening."

"Of course, sir. It's my job. Have a good night." He let himself out without a backwards glance.


	8. Chapter 8

John spent the next several days puttering around San Francisco. For once, he didn't want any sex, so he did some of the touristy things, seeing some of the city, getting in some surfing.

He was a little surprised to get an email from Elizabeth Weir nearly a week after the group from Atlantis had gone home. The subject line was simple and disturbing. "McKay resigned."

He picked up the phone immediately. "What do you mean McKay resigned. Why?"

"Good afternoon, Mister Sheppard," Weir said coolly. "And I mean exactly what the email said. Doctor McKay resigned yesterday, effective immediately. I wanted to discuss our options at this point."

"What reasons did he give?"

She sighed. "Impossible working conditions were one of the reasons. As were personal concerns. After the fire in his house—"

"Fire at his house? What fire?" John took a deep breath. "Start at the beginning. Last I talked to him, he was heading back there to get back to work and try to put everything that happened behind him."

"Kyle assured me he was keeping you in the loop," she said crossly. "He returned last Saturday morning, along with the rest of the Atlantis personnel, and went home. He worked the weekend and Monday, trying to catch up, he said. I believe late Monday night there was an electrical fire in his house. The fire department responded quickly, but they were unable to salvage much."

"Fuck. No, this is the first I'm hearing of any of this. What did you mean by impossible working conditions?"

"I don't know exactly. He was agitated and not making much sense as he ranted at me last night."

John ran a hand through his hair. "Do you have a phone number where he can be reached? I'll try to talk to him and see if I can get the full story. Maybe I can talk him out of leaving."

"I have his cell phone here. He threw it at me at one point during our conversation last night. I don't know if he had a second one. I don't know where he was going."

"Great. What about Beckett? Do you have his number? If anyone will know where McKay is holed up, he will."

"Give me a minute and I'll pull up the file." She shifted the phone and he heard typing. Sure enough she rattled off the numbers a few beats later. "That's the home number. Do you want the cell, too?"

"Yeah, might as well." John had found a notepad and was writing the numbers down as she found them. "How is Lorne doing as head of security?"

"Good. It's been a smooth transition so far. He works well with the scientists, too, which is a big benefit."

"Excellent. From what little time I spent with him, he seemed like the perfect man for that job."

"Yes, he seems to be working out well. Now I know the last quarter's numbers were not the best, so we're probably going to have to make some cuts to make up the losses. When did you want to discuss that?"

He sighed. "I'd rather not cut people if we can help it. You have a good team there. It's just been a harsh quarter for technology. Can we put together a list of other areas we could cut back? I know coffee is king, but it's a pretty huge line item—can we substitute a slightly less expensive variety, and maybe bring in a few single-use presses for anyone who wants to bring in and make their own top-line stuff?"

"Well, with Rodney gone that will come down dramatically."

"I'm still hoping I can find out what the real problem is and get him to reconsider." He sighed. "Maybe go to the department heads and ask if they'll make you a list of where they can cut back in resources. If we ask all departments to scale back those line item budgets by ten percent, we can probably make up the difference without losing anyone or cutting salaries."

"That's a good thought. I'll include that on tomorrow's to-do items."

"All right. I'll call Beckett now and see if I can track down McKay. I'll keep you posted."

"I'll wait to hear from you."

"Sounds good" John hung up and immediately called Beckett's house.

The phone rang three times before being picked up mid conversation. "…no, don't put that in the pot yet. You need to wait until the water boils. Yes, hello?"

"Carson? It's John Sheppard."

"Mister Sheppard. How can I help? Your shoulder all healed?"

"Getting there. It got infected, so I've been on an antibiotic." John winced at the title. He hated being called that. "I was hoping you could help me. I just heard from Weir, and apparently McKay has resigned. This is the first I'm hearing of any problems, so I wanted to see if you knew where he was. I'd like to talk to him and find out what's going on."

Carson sighed loudly. "Aye. I heard about that. I haven't seen hide nor hair of the man since we got off the plane."

"Damn. I was hoping maybe you knew where he was. He threw his cell phone at Weir as he walked out, so I can't call him that way. I didn't know there were any problems. I thought he was just going to get settled back into work."

"Aye, so did I. I saw him at the office, but he was busy and yelling at the staff, so I thought things were back to normal."

"Damn. Weir said he mentioned intolerable working conditions, so something must have happened. And ideas where I might be able to find him?"

"Maybe his sister's house? He wasn't on good terms with her, but maybe it's a last resort? She's across the Bay in Yarmouth."

"Do you happen to have her number?"

"No. She's a Miller now. That I know. Her husband's name is Caleb."

"I'll look them up then. What's her name?"

"Jeannie Miller."

"All right. If you hear from him, will you give me a call?"

"Of course."

Hanging up, John spent a few minutes on the Internet, and quickly found an address that matched what Carson had told him—and it had a phone number. He dialed, hoping McKay was there.

A woman answered. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Miller?"

"Yes, who's this?"

"My name is John Sheppard. I'm a... friend of your brother. I'm trying to find him, and I was hoping maybe he had been in touch with you, or you knew where I might be able to track him down."

"A friend of my brother's?" She chuckled. "That's new for him."

"Well, he's a bit prickly, but I happen to like feisty people."

"Well, more power to you," she said. "Why are you looking for Meredith?"

"Meredith?" John blinked. "I thought his first name was Rodney."

"It's Meredith Rodney McKay, actually."

"Huh. I'd probably use my middle name too then, if I was him." John shook his head. He was getting sidetracked. "Anyway, he resigned from his job suddenly, and I'm worried about him. I wanted to find out what happened, since last I had heard, he was settling back into work."

"So you think he came here?" Mrs. Miller asked doubtfully.

"I got your name from Carson Beckett. He hadn't heard from Rodney either, and he said that while you two weren't on the best of terms, it was possible he had come to you."

"Who are you again?"

"John Sheppard."

"From…."

"I work with him. Sort of."

"You work with him. Sort of? How does that work, exactly?"

He sighed. "My family owns Atlantis Corp. So technically I'm his boss, but I'm not really comfortable with that designation. I prefer to think of myself as a consultant who just makes sure Atlantis gets everything it needs."

"So you're John Sheppard, Meredith's boss at Atlantis," she said, emphasizing Rodney's real name. Her voice hardened. "Meredith Rodney McKay, how dare you come into my house and lie to me about losing your job. You didn't even tell your boss you were leaving!"

John winced. "Ah. So he is there? Can I, ah, talk to him?"

"You have my permission to ream him out and disembowel him if you want,” Jeannie offered. “We will talk about his after, Meredith."

John waited until he heard the phone change hands, starting to talk before Rodney could get started. "Okay, I'm sorry I got you in trouble."

"Yeah, well, it seems all I do lately is get myself in trouble," Rodney admitted sadly.

John sighed. "Why did you resign, Rodney? What happened? Last I talked to you or heard anything you were going back to Maine to get back to work. Then I get a call from Weir today saying your house caught fire and you resigned citing intolerable conditions. What's going on?"

"I can't work there, jumping at every shadow and noise. I was sleeping in my house when it caught fire—a place that I had no choice but to go back to. I'm done. They win."

"Don't let them win, Rodney,” John urged. “Let me help. I can help you find a new place to live, hell, I'll even build you a personal lab to work in—a separate wing of the building or something. We need you too much to let you go because of something I can fix."

"You can't protect me indefinitely, Sheppard."

"Maybe not, but I can at least give you the peace of mind you need to find your equilibrium again. If you'll let me."

Rodney sighed loudly, sounded defeated. "I can't live like this."

"So tell me what you need to feel comfortable again,” John encouraged. “I like you as a person Rodney. I want to help."

"I don’t know, but I've already put my sister and her family at risk because I'm here."

"If I fly out there, will you let me help you find a place you'll be comfortable living in? And then let me outfit it with whatever security you deem necessary?"

There was a long pause and John was nearly certain Rodney would say no. "Yes. I can't let anything happen to Jeannie and I can't stay here endangering them."

"All right,” John said relieved. “I'll make arrangements and fly in ASAP then. Give me your email address. I'll send you the details as soon as I have them.

"I’m nowhere near a big airport."

"So? I have a private jet. I can land at pretty much any regional airport. I'll figure out which one is closest to you."

"Okay," Rodney agreed and rattled off an email address. "I guess I'll be here."

"I'll have my travel details to you ASAP. Just... be careful until I get there, okay?"

"Not like I have much choice," he said with a huff.

"There's always a choice. The question is—will you choose to let me help you get settled someplace you feel safe again, or will you choose to reject my help and live in fear?"

"I said yes already, didn't I?" Rodney sulked.

"Good. Just making sure. I'll see you soon."

"Right." Rodney hung up and John winced. He was probably about ready to get an earful from his sister. 

John stood up and went looking for Kyle. They needed to be on the plane as soon as possible. His assistant, however, was not in the suite.

Great. John grabbed his phone and called the number he had on speed dial for Kyle.

He picked up after three rings. "Kyle here."

"It's John. When you have a minute, I need to make arrangements to fly out, tonight if possible."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. We're headed back to the other side of the country."

"Of course, sir. I'll get in touch with the pilot and the airport."

"Thanks. I'll pack up the suite."

"I'll take care of it," Kyle offered quickly.

"I'm here, so it's fine. You can take over when you get back, if you really want." John gave him the rest of the details about where they were headed.

"I'll take care of everything, sir. Just sit back and relax."

"When have I ever done that?"

Kyle sighed. "I can always hope."

"Too many years away from the system, Kyle. I have a hard time letting anyone do something for me I can do myself."

"In this case, just relax. I'll take care of the suite and the flight."

"Yeah yeah." John rolled his eyes, but Kyle wasn't in the suite at the moment, and John was already pulling his clothes out and folding them up to be packed.

"I'll let you know when everything is set up."

"Thanks." John hung up and spent the next several minutes packing what he could before Kyle returned and shooed him off.

He finished his own stuff quickly and then moved across the suite to Kyle's room and pulled out his luggage and started packing his assistant’s belongings. He didn't care if he complained. Besides, he was the boss. What he wasn't expecting to find, however, was several bricks of hundreds and a handgun.

John raised an eyebrow. Of course, Kyle chose that moment to come wandering in. John looked over, knowing the questions were on his face.

"Sir," he said, a little strangled.

"You find the most interesting things when you pack for other people," john commented in a deceptively light tone.

"Apparently."

"I'm curious now."

"I can imagine."

"Are you going to make me drag it out of you?” John’s tone turned dangerous. “Why the cash when we have a credit card? And I didn't even know you were rated for firearms."

Kyle sighed. "I would have preferred if you never found it so we didn't have to have this conversation."

"Well, I did find it, so now you don't have a choice. I'm not angry or anything. Just curious."

"You're not going to like the answer."

"When do I ever? Let's hear it."

"I'm not rated for firearms, but the gun and money are mine. I will admit that."

"Kyle." John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Stop trying to talk around me. You know I hate that."

"I know and I’m trying not to tell you."

"Too bad. I've found this stuff, and now you don't have a choice. I'm not going to let it go."

Kyle sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face. "The money and the gun were given to me because of my position in Sheppard Industries. I was approached by a gentleman the last time we were here by the name of Ladon Radim." He paused, taking a breath. "He's head of R&D for Genii Corporation."

"Fuck." John sat down hard on the bed. "Kyle, Christ, you're working for them?"

He paused for a long moment before responding, his tone quiet. "They just wanted information. It was easy."

"So you've been selling it to them. How much, Kyle? What have you given them?"

"Information on your movements since you became head of Atlantis. Information about McKay, about his ex wife. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

"But they did. You saw what they did to McKay. And you kept selling them information anyway?"

"I didn't know about that until we were in Maine. I swear."

"Have you had any contact with them since?"

He flinched and admitted. "I was with Ladon when you called." He reached into his jacket pocket and dug out another sleeve of hundreds.

"Fuck." John shook his head. "I trusted you, Kyle. More than pretty much anyone else in a very, very long time."

"I know, sir, which is why it was easy to get the information they wanted. Besides, you never stick with anything longer than a few days. I figured you'd be in and out of there and no one would be the wiser."

John shook his head and frowned. "I can't trust you anymore, Kyle. I'm sorry. You can go back to my father if you'd like to see about getting reassigned, but given you've been participating in corporate espionage that helped get one of our people kidnapped and tortured... I liked you, which is why I'm just letting you leave. But I don't think I want to see you again. I'm sorry."

"I understand, sir."

John watched while his former assistant packed up his things and walked out. He kept his calm, and then, screaming a few choice obscenities, he slammed his fist into the wall.

What a fucking mess.

But through the anger, realization dawned. Kyle had been with Radim when John had explained where they were going and why. 

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. He grabbed the phone and dialed Rodney's sister's house again.

It rang twice and someone picked up. It was hard to tell with all of the background yelling. It sounded like world war three over there. "Hello? Hang on I can't hear a thing." 

He waited until the nose level dropped. "Hi, this is John Sheppard again. I need to talk with Rodney."

"Yeah," the man said with a huff, "that might take some doing."

"This is very important. I know his sister wants to yell at them, but something has happened. I need to talk to him now."

The man sighed. "Okay, let me see if I can break them up. Here, Madison, talk to Mister Sheppard."

The phone shuffled hands and then John heard a tentative, "Hi?"

"Ah, hi? I'm John."

"Hi, John. Are you my uncle, too? I found out I had an uncle today, but he made mommy cry and now they're fighting."

John sighed and reined in his fear and anger. "No, I'm a friend of your uncle. I'm sorry they're fighting."

"Oh." There was a pause. "He didn't bring me a present."

"We'll have to fix that next time then, won't we?" If the situation wasn’t so serious, he’d probably be laughing at the absurdity of this conversation.

"Yes," she said with a giggle.

He made desperate small talk with her for a few more minutes before someone else grabbed the phone.

"Yes, who is this and what are you saying to my niece you pervert?"

Thank God it was Rodney at last!

"This is John, and you need to pack you sister and her family and get out of there." He took a deep breath, and quickly told Rodney about discovering Kyle had been spying on him and selling information.

"He did…what the hell kind of security do you have to let his happen? You said you were going to protect me not bring down the Genii militia on my sister's family!"

"I thought I could trust him, Rodney. He'd been with my family for years." John whined. His hand hurt like hell. "I need you all to get somewhere safe, and I can meet up with you there."

"I'm in a small town in Nova Scotia! I can't get much more lost than that. There's no where for us to go."

"Kyle was with someone at Genii when I started making arrangements to come to you. I can't trust that he didn't tell them where we were going,” John pleaded. “Please. Just put them in a car and go somewhere else until I can meet up with you."

"John, I don't know where else to go. I came here because it was the only place I could think of."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to call Lorne, then, and have him send a few people to you until I get there. Okay?"

Rodney sighed, but agreed. "Yes, fine. Just…this was a bad idea to come here. I've put my sister and her family at risk."

"Not your fault. All right, I'll be on my way shortly, and I'll have Lorne get people to you ASAP. Stay safe."

"I'll try," Rodney replied, his voice breaking on the words.

John hung up and dialed Lorne's cell phone as he went back to his room, throwing things in the suitcase.

"Lorne," he said, picking up after four rings.

John quickly told him everything that had happened in the last few minutes. "And this explains why I wasn't being told what was going on there. Weir said she had been keeping Kyle updated, but he hadn't passed any of it on to me."

"Well….shit," Lorne responded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Rodney is at his sister's house right now in Nova Scotia. Kyle was with Genii when I started making plans to go there, so if you could send some security to keep them safe while I'm in the air, I'd appreciate it."

"That's…damn. I can't get there until tomorrow at the earliest. The last ferry leaves St. John in an hour and I can't get there in enough time. I can see if I can charter a plane from Bar Harbor Airport, but I'm not sure there are any charters there."

"Just do what you can to get there as fast as you can,” John commanded. “And if you wouldn't mind briefing Weir on what happened. I'm going to the airport now to get in the air ASAP."

"She's out with Simon tonight, but I'll try to track her down. Give me McKay's sister's number. I'll see what I can do in the meantime."

John gave him the number, and grabbed his suitcase as he walked out the door. Fortunately, he always traveled light, so there wasn't much to worry about. He was still reeling from Kyle's betrayal. He needed to call Dave next and make sure Kyle was locked out of all the systems.

He checked out and called a cab to get him to the airport. He wasn't even sure where the car was they'd been using.

On the road, he dialed his brother, going over the basics—at least the part about Kyle—as soon as Dave picked up the phone.

"What the hell is going on, John? I have this…Cowen person calling the offices here demanding that we sell Atlantis to him. Something about corporate espionage and he wouldn't press charges if we settled out of court."

"Damn, Kyle must have told them what happened." John calmly detailed the last hour, and everything that had been going on.

"Shit, this is…Kyle will be locked out within the hour and I'll get our lawyers involved. I'll need to get all the police reports from the incident with McKay. If he wants to play this game, we'll play and come hell or high water, we'll win. We have the money to stay the course. Take care of what you have to, John. We'll deal with Cowen and Genii."

"Thanks." John slumped against the seat of the car. "This has taken me by total surprise, Dave. I feel like I should have known something was wrong. I trusted him, goddammit!"

"I'm just worried about what else he got into,” Dave carried on. “We have a lot riding on this, John, but we'll take care of it. I hired him."

"I'll keep you posted,” John promised. “I'm headed to where McKay is with his sister and her family now, and I've already contacted Lorne to send security to her house as soon as he's able."

"Okay, good. If you need anything else, let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

Dave hung up the phone, leaving John alone with his thoughts in the back of a cab. He only prayed that the corporate jet was there and ready to go. Hopefully Kyle didn't screw that up, too.

He was grateful to find it ready to go. John questioned both his pilot and co-pilot closely to make sure the plane was going where he wanted it.

Everything was on the up and up, but he still took a walk around the plane, checking everything out. He took his time, double-checking a few key points, because he wanted to make sure he arrived in one piece in Nova Scotia. He had promises to keep.

Finally, he got on board and took his seat. He couldn't relax, but he tried.

His mind kept spinning, worrying that he wouldn't make it in time, that Lorne wouldn't make it in time, that he'd get there only to find the Miller house a smoking char of wood and refuse.

Once in the air, he wrapped his hand in a bandage he found, and started pacing. He wouldn't get in until very early in the morning, but a lot could happen by then. And it was killing him to not know what was going on.

As flights went, it was one of the longest in his life.


	9. Chapter 9

Yarmouth Airport was one of the smallest regional airports John'd been to in a long time. Coming in over the Bay of Fundy was nice, but he had a job to do now that he was here. Thankfully there was a car and driver was waiting for him at the terminal.

He wasn't sure if he could trust the car, since he hadn't arranged for it. He eyed the driver. "Do you mind my asking who sent you?"

The man pulled a clipboard off the front passenger seat and flipped through the pages, pausing at one. "I have a reservation here that was made by David Sheppard last night at nine. I have a phone number here, too, if you need to verify anything."

"Give me a second." John was being paranoid, he knew, but after Kyle's betrayal, he wasn't sure whom he could trust right now. He dialed his brother.

He didn't care if it was five in the morning. He needed to make sure. His brother answered on the second ring, sounding way too alert for the time. "Sheppard."

"It's John. Did you book me a car service at the airport in Canada?"

"Yes. Limo and driver. Are they not there?” Dave asked crossly. “I paid an arm and a leg to make sure they met the plane."

"They're here,” John reassured him. “I just needed to make sure it was really you who booked it, so I'd know I'm going to the right place."

"No, I booked it. Lorne chartered a plane last night with three others and they've secured the packages as of two hours ago. It took a while since they were driving around in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. You should have the address once your phone synchs."

John slumped against the plane. "Oh thank god..."

"The Miller house was broken into last night around midnight, according to a local police report. So, the Genii are on the ground."

"But Rodney, his sister and her family are safe, right?" John insisted.

"With Lorne."

"All right. I'm assuming my phone has the address now, so I'll meet up with them. Any progress on the espionage front?"

"We're getting there. It turns out you were right about a security breach."

"I wish I hadn't been."

"You and me both. Our lawyers are up in arms, but the damage was minimal. I told Lorne to do whatever he thought was necessary."

"Good." John approved. "All right, I'll call you once I rendezvous with the others."

"Be careful. They know you're there."

"I know. I'm armed to the teeth."

Dave laughed humorlessly. "I figured. I think we need to give you a raise or hazardous pay for this when everything's settled."

"Time off to let my injuries heal will be enough. My shoulder is barely working right again, and I'm pretty sure I sprained my hand when I punched a wall after Kyle confessed."

"Damnit, John," Dave hissed. "That was stupid."

"I was pissed and the wall was handy," John explained.

"Well, at least we don't have an assault charge on top of everything else. Be safe and call me." Dave hung up, leaving John to deal with the driver who was staring at him.

Sighing, John pulled the address out of the phone and gave it to the driver, sliding into the back seat.

"That's about an hour's drive," the driver said as he slid into the front seat.

"That's fine. Just please, go as fast as possible."

He looked like he was going to protest, but instead started the car and got under way. His phone rang a few moments later.

John blinked, but answered quickly. "John Sheppard."

"Lorne, sir. Your brother said you were on the ground. Do you need directions?"

"He sent me directions, and I'm on the way now. How is Rodney?"

"Upset. Paranoid. Carson just gave him something to take the edge off. We're not mentioning anything about the police to them. At least not yet."

"Good. And Carson's there?"

"The gang's all here. Carson, Cadman, and me."

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that." John laid his head back against the seat. "It's been a very long night."

"I can imagine, sir. Call me before you come in. I'd hate to knock off your kneecaps."

"Yeah, I have enough injuries already,” John grinned, “and I somehow have a feeling I'm not done collecting them yet."

"I'd recommend getting out of here as soon as we can,” Lorne added seriously. “I don't know if you want to arrange something, but this is only a temporary solution."

"Let's put our heads together once I get there. We can come up with a game plan from there."

"Sounds good, sir. I'll talk to you when you get here."

John hung up and tried to relax as the scenery went by. He was exhausted, but he knew it would be a while yet until he could afford to rest again.

He used to time to try and plan. What would be best? Probably somewhere that the Genii didn't have offices. He had a few possibilities in his head by the time the driver told him they were arriving. John called Lorne's phone to let him know who it was pulling up the driveway.

"I see you, sir. All quiet so come on in."

As soon as the car was stopped, John was out and headed for the door.

Lorne had them holed up in a small cabin with clear areas all around and a good view of the road. It wasn't ideal, but for a short-term solution, he'd done a good job. Cadman pulled the door open when he crested the top step. Her face was tight, worried. "Sir."

"Cadman. It's good to see you again, but I wish it were under better conditions." He sighed and slipped in, letting her shut the door behind him.

"I’m not sure I agree with you, sir," she said quietly, her anger bubbling under the surface. "Let's just get these people to safety."

He nodded. "That's the top priority. Where's Lorne?"

"Kitchen."

He headed that direction.

Lorne was there, along with a man and woman who John assumed were Caleb and Jeannie Miller. Rodney wasn't in sight.

"Hey."

Lorne glanced up, eyes meeting John's. "Sir, please meet Jeannie and Caleb Miller, Doctor McKay's sister and brother-in-law.

He shook both of their hands. "I'm sorry we had to pull all of you out of your homes. You've gotten caught up in something that is bigger even than your brother, Mrs. Miller, and I apologize for it."

"Yes, well," she said, seemingly at a loss for words even though John could tell she was angry and probably scared. She might have gotten all of it off her chest and dumped it on Lorne if the tension in the room was any indication.

John sighed, and decided to fill them in. He had a feeling she was blaming her brother for a lot of this, and he wanted to head that off. So he didn't ask them to leave as he briefed Lorne and Cadman on what Genii was pulling on the corporate front, as well. "They're trying to go after every angle they can to get Atlantis. This is just one prong of the attack, unfortunately."

"Do we know who's on the ground here?" Lorne asked carefully.

"I haven't heard. I know who Kyle was feeding information to, but from there, I don't know who was given what. Dave was able to confirm that there are Genii in the area, but he wasn't able to give me numbers. We need to pick a secure, defensible location to relocate to and fortify."

"Somewhere not here,” Lorne assessed. “I have the Miller's passports and asked your brother to get one for Madison."

"Are you thinking of going back to the states, or out of the country altogether?” John questioned. “I know of a few isolated properties overseas we might be able to use if we want to go that route."

"Either,” Lorne shrugged. “I have Miko tracking Genii offices now."

"Good. Once she has a list of all the cities where they have offices, we'll pick a safe house that's not near any of them."

"Agreed. Rodney's in the basement bedroom. I thought it best to keep him out of sight. He wasn't happy, but he agreed."

"As long as he's getting some rest and eating." John rubbed at his face. He needed to call his brother and check in, too.

"He's calmer than he was," Lorne said with a tight smile. "I'd like to leave within the hour."

"When will Miko have that list to us? I'd rather not just be driving around aimlessly, but I agree, the faster we're moving, the better."

"The Millers have this as a summer house, so it will be fairly easy to find if they know where to look."

"And you've been here too long already." John decided. "Let's tentatively go to Hawaii right now. I have a house there that's small, but it was purchased when I wasn't speaking to my family, and it's not on any corporate lists of properties. I don't even know if my family knows about it, be honest. As far as off the grid, it's about as good as I can think of at the moment. We can always change plans on the fly if someone thinks of a better option."

"Agreed," Lorne said. "That seems like a good plan. We can pick up essentials there. I'd rather travel light on the way."

"All right, round up McKay and Beckett, and I'll call and have the plane prepped. I'm not going to tell the pilots where we're going."

"I'll talk with Cadman and Carson. He was floating around up here. Go talk to Rodney." Lorne eyed the Millers and gave them a tight smile. "You want to get Madison up? We'll get food on the way to the plane."

"There's food on the plane. I'd rather not stop if we don't have to." John contradicted, but he headed to where Lorne had pointed out Rodney's room.

He cringed as he headed downstairs, knowing that this had to feel exactly like when he'd been kidnapped and hidden away in a windowless basement room. It was good that he was safe, but John wished it were under better circumstances. He spotted Rodney sitting on the couch, arms hugging a pillow to his chest. His eyes were wide as they met John's.

"Hey." John went to his side and knelt at his feet.

"Hey," Rodney replied quietly, offering a small smile. "Seems like we can't get rid of each other."

"I wasn't trying to get rid of you in the first place," John smiled.

"I'm going to tell you off the bat that I'm a little loopy right now,” Rodney warned, “so don't expect a very…deep conversation."

"That's okay,” John said calmly. “I'm here to get you since we're leaving this house now. At the moment, our destination is a little house on the beach in Hawaii. It's pretty small, so we'll all be on top of each other, but it's also isolated and not many people know I own it."

"Hawaii?"

John nodded. "I bought a house there, more of a shack really, while I was still in the Air Force. I haven't been back in a long time, so I have no idea what state it's in, but it is mine, not my father's. I saved up combat pay for a while and bought it one year."

"If you're trying to sell me on it you're not doing a very good job."

John chuckled softly. "Not really. It's as safe a place as I can think of right now. Lorne and I have already agreed that if one of us can think of somewhere better, we'll divert, but for now, it's a destination."

"Okay," Rodney gave in without a fight.

"Hey." John leaned in and kissed him very softly, not able to help himself. "I said I'll protect you, and I will, okay? Whatever curve balls Genii throws at us, I'll hit them."

Rodney leaned in, kissing John again. "This is so not a good idea, but I don't care."

"Agreed," John whispered softly against crooked lips.

"When I was fifteen Jeannie caught me with a boy down here."

"Oh yeah? What were you doing with him?"

"This," Rodney said, kissing John again, deeper this time. "And more."

"More huh?" John ran one hand up the inside of Rodney's thigh. "This kind of more?"

"Yeah," he agreed with a shudder, pulling the pillow away from his chest. "I have to admit that trippy kissing is new to me."

John laughed softly. "I always aim to bring something new to the table."

"I blame the trippy part on Carson."

"Well, he was trying to help calm your nerves. You can't blame him."

"No, I guess not," he said shifting forward. "And I don't work for you anymore."

"Well, I plan to change that, once this is all over. But right now, at this very moment, you don't."

Rodney's hands drifted down John's shoulders. "No, I don't and I really, really want you right now." He chuckled to himself. "Apparently whatever Carson gave me limits inhibitions, too."

John's breath hitched. "God, you have no idea how much I want to take you up on that. But when I do make love to you, I want to take my time and savor every inch of your body. Right now, we don't have the time."

Rodney leaned in again, kissing him deeply and pulling a groan from himself.

John couldn't help himself, he opened his mouth and let Rodney in, letting him explore and plunder to his heart's content. It was, unfortunately, a very loud throat clearing that finally pulled them apart.

"Nononono," Rodney protested, trying to pull John back.

John laughed softly. "Later. When I can have you all to myself, and I can do this properly."

"Sir, we need to move now," Lorne said urged quietly.

"Coming." John stood up and held a hand out to Rodney, pulling him to his feet.

The scientist swayed on his feet. "Woah…spinning."

"Easy there, buddy. Apparently whatever Carson gave you is making you really happy."

"Drugs interact weirdly with him, aye," Carson said, appearing at the foot of the stairs. "We'll get him settled in a car in no time."

Nodding, John kept a hand on Rodney's elbow, slowly helping him up the stairs.

The Millers—Madison in Caleb's arms—were waiting at the door with Cadman who had a gun drawn and ready. "There's movement on the edge of the property."

"Great." John let Carson take over holding up McKay, and he drew his own weapon. "All right, I'm going to go first, and get the door open while Cadman and Lorne cover me. Then we'll all stand guard while Rodney, Carson, and the Millers get to the car. I can cover for you guys then."

"I'll take the Millers with me," Cadman said. "I'm sending Lorne with you."

He nodded. "Everyone move quickly but safely. Lorne, on my mark." John counted it off, and then they both went running for the car.

Shots were fired—and John heard Jeannie scream—but they were on the move and in the cars moments later. Lorne shoved the driver to Sheppard's car out of the way, taking the wheel. Carson crowded in back with him and Rodney.

John fired shot back into the woods, and as soon as he verified everyone was in the car, he shouted for Lorne to go, continuing to shoot back out the window.

Cason kept Rodney's head down, making sure they were low enough to stay out of the direct line of fire. Lorne floored it, fishtailing a little as they pulled onto the road. Cadman was right behind in her SUV.

They were all tense for a while. John kept checking the road behind them, but he didn't see signs of pursuit, at least not yet. They would need to get in the air as soon as possible.

"Can I get up before I puke on your shoes?" Rodney asked, his voice muffled because of Carson's hovering.

Carson looked at John, who nodded his okay. "I think it's safe for now."

Carson let Rodney up, patting him on the back. Rodney slumped into the seat, still well below the height of the back seat. "Thank you. Was…close down there."

"Sorry." John grimaced. "They got in closer than I would have liked."

"Aye, a wee bit close,” Carson agreed genially. “How far to wherever we're going?"

"The airport was an hour out, but at this pace, it will be a little faster,” John explained. “Then we'll clear it and get you all on board while I check over the plane itself to make sure it hasn't been tampered with since I left it a little while ago. Someone wouldn't have had time to do much to it, so if they have tried anything, it will be obvious."

"I can help with that, too, sir," Lorne said from the front. "We also want to start refueling now."

John nodded and pulled out his phone. He called his brother, knowing Dave would be more easily able to call everyone who needed to be notified of what needed to be done to the plane—fuel, but also extra food since they were going to be in the air for a while.

"I'll also arrange for a re-fueling stop in San Diego," Dave told him, and John could hear the pen scratching on paper. "It's still early where you are so we'll do the best we can with food and get a complete re-fill in California."

"Can we do it in Vegas instead?” John asked. “I know there are Genii people on the ground in California. I'd like to do a stopover somewhere less convenient for them."

"Ah….sure. Vegas it is."

"Thanks."

"I'll call you back before you take off."

John signed off and let the others know of the plan.

"The less stops the better," Lorne agreed.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too."

The rest of the ride back into town was uneventful—but they remained watchful, keeping closely in touch with Cadman in the car behind.


	10. Chapter 10

When they arrived at the airport, John immediately checked the outside of the plane for tampering while Lorne cleared the inside and Cadman stood watch outside. He kept the Millers and Rodney in their respective cars. It was easier to keep them there instead of out in the open. Apparently Rodney's paranoia was rubbing off on him.

Everything checked out, so they got them on board and were in the air not long after.

The first leg of the trip would be about six hours—depending on winds—and then the second leg, once they were able to refuel and re-stock their pantry, another six hours at the least, probably closer to seven. 

By mutual agreement, Madison was given the bedroom, with her parents in there trying to calm her and get her to sleep. The rest of them more or less collapsed around the plane.

Rodney kept staring at John, watching him as he moved around the plane. It was a little eerie, to say the least.

John went to pick something up, and his hand reminded him of the earlier damage. "Carson, if you aren't too tired, could you make sure I didn't do any real damage when I hit a wall earlier?"

"You hit a wall?" Carson assumed, immediately standing and moving over to John. He shook his head and starting tutting as soon as he saw John's hand. "Laddie, that was not a very good thing to do."

"Well, it was that or find a person to hit. I did this when I found out about Kyle."

"And I liked that lad," Carson said, poking gently at John's knuckles. "Come on. Let me clean this for you. I don't think you broke anything."

"I liked him, too, that's why his betrayal hurt so fucking much." John rose and led Carson to the tiny little kitchenette, where there was a sink.

John let Carson take care of him, glancing over his shoulder a few times to see Rodney still staring at him.

"The lad still staring?" Carson asked with a smile.

"Yes." John looked back, giving Rodney a small smile.

"The drugs mess with him a wee bit."

"I saw that. They'll wear off before we land to refuel though, right?"

"Aye. You should see him on codeine. Sometimes when he's driving me up a wall I wish I had taped it to use as blackmail," Carson said with a light smile. He patted John's hand as he secured the last piece of tape for the bandage. "There you go. It'll be fine. Your shoulder’s not giving you any issues?"

"I had to have a hotel doctor clean it out and give me a prescription for an infection, but it was just a few days of pills, and it seems to be fine since then."

"Infection?" Carson narrowed his eyes and then waved his finger at him. "Off with yer shirt now."

John made a face, but pulled his shirt off, glancing over to see Rodney's eyes widen a little further at the sight. It made him feel a little better about it.

John saw Rodney's hand twitch where it was lying in his lap, but Carson pulled his attention back as soon as he tugged off the bandage. "What have we here?"

"I hadn't re-wrapped it in a while."

"You need to take better care of yourself, laddie," Carson said, pressing down on the edge of the wound. "And you shouldn't have stopped with the antibiotics. Whatever the quack you went to in California gave you didn't work."

"It didn't?" John tried to look at his shoulder, and failed. "It hasn't hurt, so I didn't pay much attention."

"It's going to start hurting again if you don't take care of it." Carson pressed on it again and a white-hot pain lit up from his shoulder.

A strangled scream got out before John could stop it. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Aye there it is," Carson said with a nod.

Rodney, though, was at John's side pulling him away. "Stop it! What are you doing to him?"

Sweat had beaded up on John's forehead. "S'okay," he gasped. "Apparently the doctor I was seeing didn't do a very good job following up on my shoulder. Christ that hurts!"

"Aye, pressure was starting to build because the infection was under the skin," Carson said pointing to his shoulder. "Should start easing now as the puss gets out."

John clenched his teeth as Carson forced a cut and started working the infection out of it. He couldn't stop a few moans and gasps as he hit particularly painful spots.

"Carson, stop," Rodney demanded through clenched teeth.

"I can't, lad. If I do, we run the risk of this getting into his bloodstream, and then it will be much, much worse. It was left to fester for a week now, which is why it's so bad now. But once I drain it, I can clean it out and give him something to help with the pain."

"You're hurting him."

"Aye, unfortunately I have to, to get this infection out. But we're almost done now."

Rodney was clamped on John's arm, steadying him as Carson worked. John gasped again as Carson got the last of the infection out. While the doctor went to get some disinfectant to finish really cleaning it, John slumped against Rodney's shoulder.

"I’m sorry that evil, horrible man had to do that to you," Rodney said, patting John's other shoulder. "He likes draining your blood, too. And sheep. He likes sheep."

"Sheep huh? Well, I am a shepherd..."

Rodney stilled for a moment then whispered—loudly—"He is never touching you again."

John laughed weakly. "Let's hope I don't get hurt again so he doesn't have to."

Carson approached again, a tolerant smile on his face. "I can hear you just fine Rodney and I'm doing this to make him better, nothing more. Come on, lad, let's get you bandaged and into a seat."

John had to have help from both men to move back into the main cabin. He couldn't stop a few more moans of pain as Carson finished cleaned his wound and bandaging it. Pain seemed to make his exhaustion a lot harder to hold back.

Two pills were pressed into his hand. "Something to take the edge off, but no, it's not a prescription. Just regular pain killers," Carson said. "I have a bottle of water, too."

"They won't make me fuzzy?"

"No. Usual over the counter stuff. I have to wait until we get to Vegas to get you antibiotics. And you will take them."

"As long as they don't make me fuzzy." John popped the pills and took the water to swallow them. "I hate that."

"I remembered what you told me and I won't do that unless its necessary," Carson said quietly. "Now rest." He pulled a blanket up over him and put the water on the coffee table next to him. Rodney was in the chair next to him on his good side, just watching.

"Lorne,” John looked up dopily. “I have to sleep or I'm going to pass out at a bad time. Wake me up just before we land in Vegas, okay?"

"Course, sir," he said with a smile. "We'll keep an eye on you."

"Thanks." John reached out and grabbed Rodney's hand with his own before he closed his eyes.

He woke up as he felt the wheels hit the tarmac. Someone had laid his and Rodney's chairs down so they were lying down. He had shifted toward Rodney—boy, did he give off heat—and he had his head pillowed on Rodney's shoulder. 

"Wha?"

"We just landed in Vegas, sir," Lorne said quietly. "McKay's asleep, too."

John sat up slowly, making sure he didn't wake the other man. "Did we get a confirmation from David that refueling and resupply will be here waiting?"

"The phones are just going on now."

"Before anyone gets out, confirm it with him. The number is in my phone."

"I have his number and I'm calling him now," Lorne said as he hit two buttons on his phone, lifting it to his ear. "Mister Sheppard, this is Evan Lorne. I wanted to confirm with you for the re-supply and re-stocking. We've just touched down in Vegas."

John trusted that if Lorne needed him, he would ask. So John focused on sitting up slowly, aware that his whole shoulder ached. Cleaning it out had been necessary, but damn did it hurt like hell.

"You okay, laddie?" Carson asked quietly as he appeared at his side, helping him up—all the while carefully avoiding the slumbering scientist. 

"Yeah, just sore. I assume that's normal." John winced as he moved his shoulder wrong.

"Aye, it is. Once we've stopped I'm going to have another look at it and re-bandage it."

"Hopefully by then, it won't hurt just to have you think about touching it again."

Carson chuckled quietly. "I know it hurt, but it'll get better faster this way. I'm going to give you something for the pain again once you eat a wee bit."

"Let's wait until we're back in the air then. I want to supervise loading goods, and with luck we won't be here long."

Carson raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You are not…gallivanting all over creation."

"No. I'm going to walk around the plane and supervise loading fuel and food. I have no desire to leave the immediate area."

"But knowing you—"

"Carson, stop arguing and let him do his job," Rodney muttered without opening his eyes.

John chuckled. "I can't make any promises, Doc, but I don't have any plans to do anything fancy."

Rodney shifted in the seat, groaning a little. "Where are we?"

"Vegas, for the resupply,” John informed him. “I don't think we'll be here more than an hour, at the very most. You can go back to sleep, if you'd like."

"No, I need to piss and eat," he said, finally opening his eyes and glancing around the cabin. "Should you be up?" he asked Carson. "The plane is still moving you know."

"We're on the ground, just taxing to the refuel station." John stood up slowly and glanced over at Lorne. "We all set?"

"I have the orders in email and will confirm them with the ground crew once we're in the hanger," Lorne said with a nod. "There is a lounge area if you want to let everyone stretch their legs."

"Let's do a quick inspection first and make sure it's safe. I'm being paranoid, but I'd rather be safe."

"Already in the plan. Cadman's going to check out the area while I talk to the grounds crew." Lorne peered out one of the windows. "We're parking now. Five minutes until I pop the hatch."

"Good. Let me know when you have the all clear."

Rodney pushed himself up and headed to the bathroom, leaving John with Carson. "Are you gonna let me look at you or not?"

"I'd prefer to wait, if it can. Given how much it hurt the first time, I don't want to be out of it if something happens."

Carson sighed, but nodded, as the bedroom door opened and Madison bounded out, followed by her parents. "Fine. And I may insist on you moving to the bedroom."

John looked at him, surprised at that. "You don't think Madison needs the space more?"

"No, she probably will want to watch TV out here and it'll give her more to do on the next flight—the longer one. Once she got over the shock of the travel, she was itching to be out here with everyone else. About threw a tantrum when her parents wouldn't let her."

"Ah, that's fine then. Although Rodney might need it more than I do." John checked his weapons, patting them down to make sure everything was in place.

"Aye. I thought you may be able to convince him to rest, now that I'm relegating you to the bedroom."

John chuckled. "Good to know."

"He listens to you more times than not, so I take that as a good thing." Carson returned the smile as Lorne popped open the door of the plane and headed out with Cadman.

John nodded, and moved to the open door, standing to the side, his attention now on making sure no one who wasn't supposed to be there came up the stairs.

He heard Rodney come out of the bathroom and conversation start up between Carson, Rodney, and the Millers. They kept it low—obviously feeling the tension in the air—and John appreciated it. John's phone rang a few minutes into the ground inspection.

He grabbed it and answered without looking at it, keeping his eyes moving. "Sheppard."

"Everything meeting with your approval?" Dave asked.

"So far. Lorne and Cadman are out checking the fueling and resupply. We haven't had any problems. How are things on your end?"

"Good so far. I hired two security guards to keep people out of the hanger and got you the most protection I could. Lorne might want to talk to them. They should be on the door."

John squinted at the hangar door. "Looks like he already is. We should really consider making him more than just head of security for the Atlantis division. If he'd accept it, he'd make a great security head for the entire company."

"You'd let him work for me?" Dave sounded surprised.

"He's a good guy, so I want to see him get ahead. And hell Dave, technically, I work for you."

"And then you'd be down security staff for your division. Right now we're getting along. Don’t push it."

"I'm not, really. Just idle speculation while I wait to see if anyone is going to shoot at me again. Carson Beckett, the doctor we have with us, discovered my shoulder had gotten badly infected. He cleaned it out, but it hurts like hell now."

"So you're traveling with a doctor and four other civilians including a small child and you only have two security people?"

"For the moment, yes. Once we're somewhere we can catch our breath for a minute, I'm going to see what I can do to fix that. To this point, we've just been reacting."

David sighed. "Do you need anything else while you're on the ground there?"

"I don't think so. The refuel and stocking the plane with more substantial food items were the top priorities. I'll be sending you a list though, once we're at the safe house."

"And where exactly is that?” Dave demanded. “I can get you a place if you need me to. I have a realtor there."

"I have a place,” John admitted carefully, “but I'd rather wait until it's secure to tell you. The fewer people who know where we're going, the better. Once I have a chance to fortify it, I'll let you know."

"Is it big enough for all of you?"

"It will be tight, so it might not be a permanent solution, but it's an option for the moment at least."

"I can put an agent on it right now to have something ready for you when you arrive," Dave insisted.

John sighed. "I'm just worried that the more people who know where we're going, the more chances Genii will have to beat us there and be waiting." He capitulated. "Hawaii. Find something remote and defensible."

"What? On a mountain? A side of a cliff?"

"Mountain, if you can get it. One way in and out would be best, since it makes it easier to patrol."

"Bedrooms…seven?"

John did a mental tally. "If you can find it. We could make do with four if necessary."

There was a pause in his brother's scribbling. "Four?"

"I'd like more, since it will make everyone more comfortable, but that's the minimum."

"Are you shacking up with someone already?"

John should have known Dave would pick up on that. "Not yet, but I am interested in McKay. More than interested if you have to know. I haven't slept with anyone since I met him."

"Really."

"Yeah."

"McKay."

"Yeah."

"That's…interesting."

"He's an interesting guy. More than interesting."

"So it seems," Dave said letting out a long breath. "I guess I can't say anything after the other night when you called, so….right. Call me before you leave. I'll get Amy working on the house in Hawaii."

"Ask her to be very discreet, please. I'd rather not land to find armed men in my face. My civilians are in shock, and I need at least a few days to let them catch their breath."

"Of course. She's the epitome of discreet."

"Thanks." John yawned. "It looks like Lorne is headed back this way, so let me let you go. With luck, we'll be back in the air within the next half hour."

"Re-fueling takes longer than that, but if you want to be delusional….talk to you soon." David hung up just as Lorne approached the stairs. "We're clear, sir. Two extra guards on the main door. I'd recommend letting everyone stretch so we can do a quick cabin cleaning, too."

"All right, good. Thanks." John went back and let everyone know they could move around outside. Madison was the first out the door, running around the hangar with everyone else keeping an eye on her as they walked and moved, too. John kept an eye on the people moving around the plane itself, refueling and bringing in a lot of good food.

A two-person cleaning crew took care of the inside of the plane—with Cadman watching them the entire time. The ground crew probably thought they were nuts, but John didn't care. He'd made a promise to Rodney and he was going to keep it.

It took a little longer than he had wanted, but they were all back on board and back in the air about an hour and a half later.

Before they left, Dave already had two places as possibilities. He'd get a review of the units and promised to email the details as soon as he finalized everything. If John didn't like the location or the place, he still had his own cottage to fall back on.

John ate a little, and took the pain pills Carson gave him before the doctor sat him down to poke at his shoulder again.

This time he was much more gentle, his touches were firm, but they didn't hurt nearly as much. He checked everything and re-bandaged him, telling him—with a smile—to put a shirt back on.

John stood and pulled his tee shirt over his head, careful not to pull anything. "You should get some sleep too, you know."

"I did on the way over to Vegas. I'll probably nap a wee bit more once everyone's settled in." He smiled as he caught sight of Madison and Cadman watching some Disney movie in one corner. Jeannie and Caleb were napping a few feet away. Lorne was on his laptop, scowling at the screen. Rodney, though, was pacing around.

John caught Rodney's attention as he paced by. "Hey. You all right?"

"Just…" his hands fluttered. "I don't like small spaces."

"I can imagine." John smiled at him. "Do you want to lay down and try napping again? If you want, I can lay down with you."

Rodney eyes got wide and shot over to where Madison and Cadman were sitting. "You can't just ask that…"

"To sleep, Rodney." John laughed quietly. "Anything more than that, will have to wait for a bit more privacy and time."

"Oh…oh! Oh, okay. I guess that's fine. I mean, not that I don’t think it wouldn't be fine, it's just that, well, this had been a shitty past few weeks and I'm not sure about anything anymore and—"

John silenced him by brushing their lips together. "Yes, I want what you thought I was asking for. But not here. I told you, I want the time and space to do it right the first time."

"Right….right," Rodney said, licking his lips. Wow. That was a pretty impressive derailment, John thought, and judging by the look on Carson's face he had a lot to be smug about.

John took Rodney's hand and tugged him back into the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and laid down on the bed, raising an eyebrow at McKay in an invitation to join him.

"I’m not really tired."

"So? Neither am I?"

"Really? So why are we…?" He glanced at the closed door.

"Because not everything has to end in sex. I happen to be a big fan of making out."

"You…are….ah…" Rodney swallowed, but kicked off his shoes. "You know you're injured."

"So? Kissing isn't that strenuous, Rodney." As soon as the other man was on the bed, John grabbed him and rolled so that Rodney was on the bottom. "This okay?"

"Um…yeah," he said relaxing under John a few beats later. "Really…more than okay."

"Good." John didn't immediately capture Rodney's mouth. Instead, he started to kiss his way along the man's jaw line, enjoying the way the rough stubble felt against his own face.

Rodney's hands were not still, roaming John's back, but being careful of his shoulder. He spread his legs, letting John settle in closer.

John ground his hips down a little, letting Rodney feel how turned on he was. John moved on to tracing that crooked mouth with his tongue, tasting it, memorizing it.

"God, you are so hot," he muttered, shifting to catch John's mouth with his own.

Moaning a little himself, John took control of the kiss, deepening it, but also keeping it controlled.

Rodney's fingers curled in, tightening on John's back. He groaned, trying to take control of the kiss, but John wasn't ready for that, not yet.

He wanted to savor Rodney. And he didn't want the fast and dirty that any sex now would have to be. So he kept control of the kiss, doing his best to turn Rodney into a puddle of goo.

Rodney was stubborn and determined, shifting on the bed, thrusting up, digging in his fingers, but John was even more stubborn. 

He broke off, gasping a little. "Making out, Rodney. We're just making out. This isn't a race you know. I want to enjoy you."

"But you are so hot," Rodney whispered. "How can you not be about the final outcome?"

"Because I want more than just a little sex with you." John nuzzled along Rodney's jaw. "I don't think I'll be satisfied with just a little meaningless sex when it comes to you. So I want to do this right. I want to court you, fool around with you, first. Because I know once I have you the first time, I won't have the willpower to hold back again."

"You are killing me here," Rodney groaned.

"Half the fun at this stage is the discovery, the build up." John mouthed his way down Rodney's neck, then back up the other side. "And I wasn't kidding, when I said I want the time to really do it right, when we finally do have sex for the first time. I want to have the kind of all-night marathon sex that leaves us both exhausted and barely able to walk for days. I want to do all kinds of filthy things to your body, without worrying about interruption."

"God, John…if you keep talking like that I'm going to need another pair of pants." He closed his eyes, panting as John continued to nip and kiss along his jaw and neck.

"I want to find out everything that turns you on, Rodney. And then I want to do them all to you. I want to teach you the things that turn me on, so you can do them to me. I want to try new things with you, take both our bodies places we didn't know we could go."

"I’m gonna come in my pants…something I haven' done since I was a teenager. God," he groaned again, trying to rub himself against John.

"God, that's seriously hot. I want to do that to you. I want to know I got you so fucking turned on, this is all it takes." John captured his mouth again and kissed him hard.

Rodney squealed—squealed!—into John's mouth and sure enough a few moments later John felt him come, the damp feeling slowly growing against his hip.

John ground down against him, still kissing him hard, trying to taste everything Rodney had to offer.

He shuddered, fingers digging deeply into John's back for a long moment before he finally relaxed completely under him, humming a little in the back of his throat.

John worked a hand between them, flicking open his own pants and getting a hand down them. He pulled himself out, knowing it would only take a few strokes to get himself off. He was almost there.

Rodney clumsily tried to shove John's hand away, reaching to try and grab John's cock. In a few minutes, the lack of coordination would be funny, but right now he needed to come.

John had to sit up a little, and as soon as he did, Rodney's big hand was on him. John groaned, throwing back his head as he came.

John collapsed on top of Rodney, breathing hard. Rodney was still huffing and puffing under him, his hand still loosely wrapped around John's cock.

"Oh god. If that's just a taste of how fucking good we'd be together, I need to get this resolved so I can take you to bed for a week."

"A week? I'll never survive."

"Maybe longer." John sat up and swallowed hard, looking down at Rodney's face. He was self-aware enough to know he was falling, hard and fast. "I might not be able to let you leave again."

"What are you going to lock me away in some Hawaiian castle and keep me chained in the basement? I’m not a damsel…albeit, I can't argue the ‘in distress’ part of the whole picture." Rodney's mouth twitched in a half smile.

John huffed a laugh, and leaned in to press their lips together briefly again. "No castles. Just nice houses, lots of food and so much sex neither of us can walk straight."

"So it's the modern version. Instead of a horse, you have a plane."

"What can I say? I have a hero complex. So are you going to let your hair down for me?"

"If you hadn't already noticed, I'm a little lacking in the hair department," Rodney said with a frown. "And while I’m a genius, I'm not exactly a catch. You know you could do a lot better."

John rolled, so he was straddling McKay's body again. "Hey. You're smart, sexy, funny, and I think I just proved that I'm attracted. I won't lie to you Rodney—the last year or so, while I've been working for my father, I've been what can only be termed a total slut. Sex is... just not what I want. I tried to make it mean something, but right now, what we just did, felt better than I've had in a very, very long time."

Rodney didn't look convinced. "Look. This could just be…the heat of the moment. You'll get bored in no time, I'm sure. I'm not going to argue that this wasn’t good—and was a nice end to my rather dry spell as of late—but once all the terror and the rush is gone…" He shrugged. "I just think we need to be realistic."

"Rodney, I haven't slept with anyone since I met you the first time. I spent the week after you took off doing nothing except pinning after you."

"John…Sheppard…" Rodney sighed. "Can we just see where this goes?"

John sighed, but nodded. "If that's what you want."

"I think it's what's…prudent—especially in this situation."

"I don't want prudent with you, Rodney," John argued.

"You're my…white knight. You saved me and, I hate it to admit it, but honestly, there's a lot of hero worship going on right now. I'd do just about anything for you if you could guarantee what happened to me will never happen again. I'm at a severe disadvantage right now. I would really like things to be normal again, but I tried that and it didn't work and I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"I understand that." John sighed again. "And I don't want you because you feel obligated. Or even if you want it now, to get involved in something you'll regret later. But the situation isn't why I want you. I've played hero before, and I never wanted anyone as badly as I want you. Ever. So when it's done, and you feel like you can make a rational choice... I'll be waiting, okay?"

Rodney nodded. "But is it bad that I don't want to give this up now that I had it once?"

"Oh, trust me, it's a supreme act of will on my part not to strip you now and bury myself inside you. I wasn't kidding. I dream of all the filthy things I want to do to you."

"And here I thought you planned to woo me."

"This is me wooing. I'm not very good at it, admittedly."

"You're flying me to a secret location in Hawaii—albeit with my sister and her husband and daughter…and three of my former co-workers. Yeah. You can do better," Rodney challenged.

"So does it count that I made sure the house we're going to is well stocked in really good coffee and high-quality chocolate?"

"Better," Rodney conceded.

"So I'm not totally hopeless. I'll keep working on my wooing skills."

"You certainly have the resources and perhaps the brain cells. I haven't figured it out entirely yet."

"I've thought about my PhD. Did I tell you that?"

"PhD?"

"Yeah. I have my masters in mathematics. I've thought about going back. I'd like something to do with flying. Then maybe I could open my own little company, apart from my father, and build awesome planes."

"You cannot have a masters."

"Why not? I do have it. I spent years flying multi-million dollar planes, Rodney. The government doesn't let stupid people in those."

Rodney huffed. 

"I can do math in my head."

"No you can't."

"Try me."

"I don't know."

"881 - prime or not prime?"

"Prime, but that doesn't prove anything," Rodney argued.

"So pick a number for me," John offered.

Rodney huffed again. "256,203,221"

"Prime. Give me another."

"633,910,098, but I don't know what this proves, exactly. You can guess prime or not prime and you have a fifty/fifty chance of getting it right."

"Not prime. And okay, so choose a different way. I can do equations in my head Rodney. Granted, I'm not genius level like you, but as long as you don't go serious quantum theory on me, I can solve it. I've been working on one of the Millennium problems in my spare time."

"The Millennium problems…in your spare time?" Rodney squeaked.

"The Hodges Conjecture, yes. I don't know that I'll be able to solve it, but I've got about two years of work on it. I can show you. It's on my laptop."

"But you're….hot."

"So? That's just genetics, Rodney. I was fortunate to have good looking parents, but everything else I do is mine."

Rodney huffed again, shifting under John. "You do know we had sex a few feet from my four-year-old niece."

"You came in your pants and then jerked me off—and it took like two pulls,” John chuckled. “I don't classify that as sex. It was just a warm up for all the sex we'll have later."

"It was still sex."

"It was mutual orgasms."

"Which is sex."

It was John's turn to huff. "Fine, but I still want to ravish you later."

"Maybe."

"Ravish. Lots of filthy things. I want to lick you all over. I want to tie you to the bed and fuck you until you pass out."

Rodney squirmed under him. "God….and I'd let you."

"See, we'd be perfect together."

"Maybe," Rodney answered with a smirk.

Laughing softly, John leaned down to claim Rodney's mouth again, kissing him deeply.

Rodney groaned into John's mouth, running his hands along John's arms.

John pressed his hips down, grinding them together.

Rodney's fingers dug into John's biceps even as he tried to thrust up. Neither of them was getting it up so soon, but it still felt fantastic.

"God," John was panting when they finally broke for air.

"I can…I can see it now…I'll be chained to a bed in the basement of your Hawaiian castle and you'll have your way with me and I'll die a happy, happy man."

"God that would be amazing. Sex anytime we wanted it. All day, every day."

"Animal."

"Hey, it was your idea," John protested.

"You didn't argue with me about the Hawaiian castle this time," Rodney pointed out.

John blew out his breath into Rodney's damp neck. "I have no idea where we're going. My place is essentially a shack on the beach. Dave is in charge of finding something big enough for us that's also secure."

"I’m sure he'll find something," Rodney said, wrapping his arms around John's waist as he settled against him. "I still can't believe everything you've already done."

"I can't explain it. I just... I have to keep you safe, no matter what it takes."

Rodney sighed. "Are we going to try to sleep before Carson comes barging in here complaining that I’m injuring you more?"

"We should probably at least try to nap. Once we land, I'll want to be completely focused until we get everyone settled."

"I know," Rodney agreed, shifting them so John rolled off to the side a bit. "Your shoulder okay?"

"Yeah, It's sore, but I have to admit, it's better than it was before Beckett started messing with it. I didn't realize how much it was hurting, before."

"Good," Rodney said quietly, letting out a long breath. "I should try to sleep before Carson threatens me with another sedative."

John slid to his side, and pulled Rodney so they were spooned together. "How's that?"

"Better, good." He sighed again, but in a sleepy way. "I think it's all catching up with me."

"Yeah. It probably will, for a little while at least. You haven't really had time to just process it all."

"Yeah. I need to build a time machine."

"Mmm, but then we might not have met."

"You decided to take over Atlantis before they…before they took me." Rodney shuddered a little in John's arms.

"Yeah, but you might not have given me the time of day. You'd have written me off as a pretty playboy, and that would have been it."

"Maybe. I would have noticed you, that's for sure. And I was head of R&D, so we would have had to interact."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have actually talked to me,” John pouted. “You'd have yelled at me, insulted me a little, then stomped off, giving me a great view of you ass, but it would have been hard to make you notice me as a man, instead of your boss."

"I'm sure you could be pretty persuasive if you wanted to."

"Of course. Right now, I'm going to persuade you to close your eyes and sleep."

"That won't take much,” Rodney yawned. “You wore me out."

"Good."

"Good? You're happy you wore out what little energy I had left? What if I had to run from something?"

"That's what the nap now is for. Besides, sex tired isn't the same as regular tired."

"Really?"

"Really."

Rodney huffed. "Fine. If you say so."

"I do." John kissed the back of Rodney's head. "Now, we nap."

Rodney, surprisingly, didn't protest and John heard Rodney's breathing even off a few minutes later. He hadn't been kidding when he said John had worn him out.

John let himself relax as well, although his own mind kept spinning. They couldn't just keep running and hiding. Once they got Rodney and his sister to relative safety, they would need to come up with a plan to end this.

John needed to make a stand and it had to be on his terms. It was going to have to be something that made Genii walk away—or at least made it too expensive to continue to harass Sheppard Industries personnel.

He could buy them and then fire them all, but Genii had nothing he wanted. In fact, from what he had read about the company, it was like a disease, eating away at whatever was good. 

Okay, so buying them was out, and they had already proved that they weren't above dirty tactics.

Rodney whimpered in his sleep and John quickly quieted him, gentling him even while he slept, but it only made him more determined to come up with something. 

There was too much at stake not to.

The rest of the flight was easy, and when they landed, John got in touch with Dave. There were two cars waiting for them, and they headed into a remote area of one of the smaller islands—Kauai. It wasn't as big of a tourist area, which was nice, and the house was perfect.

"Are you sure it's perfect?" Dave asked.

"Dave, I couldn't have done better myself." John stood on the back porch and looked out over the ocean. "There's a reef, so on one can come in with a boat, it's remote, it's got plenty of room, but it's not so big I can't easily secure it with a small team - it's perfect. You might have a hard time making me leave, to be honest."

"We're buying it, so if you like it I'll sign the papers. I didn't want any issues if you decided to get it blown up."

"God, I will be seriously pissed if it gets blown up,” John protested. “I'm in love with this house already."

"Least I won't get sued by a rental agency. Call me if you need anything else."

"I will. Thanks."

"And be careful."

"Always." John smiled, even though Dave couldn't see it.

"Right." He chuckled as he hung up.

John took a deep breath. It had been too long since he'd last been to Hawaii. He loved the islands, and felt at home here like he didn't anywhere else.

"I’m going to die here."

John looked over. "I'm not going to let that happen. It's too perfect a place for anyone to die."

"The last time I checked you had no control over the sun," Rodney said as he scowled up at the offending object in the sky. "I need sun block. Either that, or I’m going to start making my own."

"You can make your own?" John lifted his face to the sun. "I'll admit, you don't want to get burned, but I love the feel of the sun, the wind with that hint of sea brine. God, I could stay here forever and be happy."

"And be full of sun cancer, no thanks."

"You won't be, because you're going to make us sunscreen," John countered.

"Then I'll need some ingredients."

"Make a list, and not just for the sunscreen. Let me know everything you need or want."

"Anything?"

"Yes. If I can get it for you, I will."

"Hmm," Rodney tapped a finger against his chin. "I'll make a list."

John nodded. "Have you picked out a room?"

"Maybe," Rodney said. "I think I deserve the master bedroom, but my sister would point out that I should think of other people before myself—and then grab the master bedroom for herself."

"Well, there are two master suites, and I'm pretty sure she and her husband already snagged one. If you don't mind sharing with me, you can have the second," John offered hopefully.

"I think they were eyeing the two bedrooms downstairs near each other. They wanted to be close to Madison."

"Ah. Well, there are five rooms, so they have their pick. I'm claiming the upstairs room that looks out over the ocean. You can still share with me."

"I can now can I?" Rodney smirked at him. "You know my sister keeps looking at me like I'm some sick pervert."

"Well, too bad for her,” John laughed. “I have it on good authority that I'm one of the most eligible bachelors in the United States. I'm a total catch. And since I met you, I'm off the market."

Rodney snorted. "I'm glad you don't have an issue with your self-esteem. And Carson's looking for you."

"I'll go find him in a minute. First I want to know if you'll move in with me, at least while we're here."

"I don't think I have another option unless I want to sleep on the couch."

"Well, you could have your own room, but I'll take a yes any way I can get it," John encouraged.

"It's a yes."

John stepped closer and caught Rodney up in a deep kiss. Rodney moaned, catching John's hips with his hands and tugging him closer. The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them.

John broke the kiss slowly, a little annoyed at the interruption. He finally looked up.

"I'd suggest you get a room, but this is your house," Lorne smiled. "Sorry to intrude, but we need to get set up and talk about supplies. Also, how long do you plan to stay here?"

John dove back in for another brief kiss, and then released Rodney. "Right. Rodney, if you could get me your list, we can include anything you want in the general supply run to make things easier."

"Um…right. List," Rodney said, licking his lips.

John forced himself to step away from the other man, forcing his brain back to Lorne. "Right. Let's sit down and make that list."

Lorne nodded leading John back into the house. "I'll have Cadman and Carson go out and get everything," he said over his shoulder. "I think it's best."

"Are you sure that no one from Genii would recognize them?” John checked. “I'm reasonably sure our location is still secure, but I don't want them to risk themselves."

"They can play the couple visiting better than the lot of us, honestly. We need to get the supplies and I don't want anyone here other than us."

"True." John sat down at the table, glad the house had come fully furnished. It made things easier. "We have a small armory that was on the plane, and what we brought with us, so we're good on the weapons front. We'll need food, and I'd say we should plan for enough for at least a month, to be on the safe side."

"Agreed," Lorne nodded. "Carson can stop at the local Costco or Sam’s, or whatever they have here. We need to make sure we have enough stuff."

"Please, please let's be specific—no Spam,” John begged. “I know it's popular here, but I really can't stand the stuff."

"Oh why? It's a cultural delicacy. We need to get a little,” Lorne teased. “I think I saw Spam sushi on the way in."

John shuddered. He had spent enough time here to know how disgusting it was. "As long as no one expects me to eat it. I've tried it almost every way there is to prepare it, and there is nothing that will make it less than utterly gross."

Lorne chuckled, glancing up as Rodney walked back into the house. "Don't forget to put sunscreen on that list. We need close to a pallet, I'm guessing based on what I can see out there."

John rolled his eyes. "I'll have them pick up a few bottles. Do you have the list of things you’ll need to work?"

"No,” Rodney snapped. “What do you expect me to write on out there, my arm?"

John raised an eyebrow, but grabbed a spare piece of paper and pen from the set he and Lorne were using to make their lists. "Here you go."

Rodney huffed and settled in at the table, scratching away at the paper.

John turned back to Lorne. "Other than food, what supplies do we need to have on the list?"

"Sunscreen," Rodney muttered before Lorne could answer.

"I'll take inventory of the white goods, too—sheets, towels—and probably get an extra supply of medical supplies. I might make a run after Carson and Cadman get back," Lorne answered.

"McKay, you aren't leaving the house for the foreseeable future. We're here to keep you protected, remember?" John shook his head. "And I'm sure Carson will supplement the medical supplies on his own. He is the expert on those, after all."

"I will not stay chained up in the basement," Rodney said sharply. "And besides, the windows aren't UV coated so you can get a sunburn by just sitting in the kitchen."

"I wasn't saying you had to stay chained in the basement, Rodney,” John soothed. “Just on the property, and not going out flashing your face around town. And I'm not wearing sunscreen in the house. I'll put it on to surf, if it will make you happy."

Rodney huffed at him again, turning back to his list. Lorne smiled, obviously amused. "If you're surfing maybe I should pick up some emergency splints."

"I haven't broken anything surfing since I was 15," john protested.

"No time like the present," Lorne said, making his own notes. "I think you should take a look around the house to see if you want to make any changes. I'm not sure if there's a safe room or if we'll need to get a higher broadband cable installed."

"Yes on the cable,” John decided, “since we'll need to make sure it's a secure network anyway. A safe room is something we'll want to scope out a place for, yes. It won't be easy to install quietly, but if we plan ahead enough, it should be possible."

Lorne nodded, jotting down notes. "Let me call Cadman down and we can take a walk of the property."

John nodded. "We'll need to go ahead and identify muster points too, in the event something does happen. We can stock them with extra weapons and ammo."

"Agreed," Lorne said rising to his feet. He walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up for Cadman. "As soon as she's here we can walk."

She came down a moment later, and they left Rodney still sitting at the table, scribbling his notes.

The walk through didn't take long, but he was glad that Lorne had suggested it. While the house was good, it had a few points that needed to be reinforced. There was plenty of room in the basement to set up a safe room and John made a point to have that done immediately. 

Then the question was this: would Rodney actually use it?

John sighed. It wouldn't be pleasant, but if it came to that, he'd just have to hope the scientist would follow orders.

John snorted. So far Rodney had listened to him, hadn't really argued with him. But from what everyone told him, that was a rare occurrence. Sooner or later, Rodney would buck him and knowing his luck it would be at the one time he shouldn't.

He shook his head and forced himself to get back into the conversation. He could deal with that when it happened. No sense borrowing trouble.

"I think we should be able to knock out the room in a few days if we have everything we need," Lorne said, pacing it out. "We will have to get the lumber delivered, though."

"Can you do the wiring we'd need to ensure there's a satellite linkup, no matter what's going on with the rest of the house, or will we need to have Rodney help with that?” John asked. “And we'll need to have solid steel delivered too, to line the inside, along with cork for soundproofing. I'd like to tie the security system into this room as well—have monitors that feed in here, so someone locked in here can direct the rest of us as to who's in the house and where they are. For that matter, radios on an encrypted signal would be a plus, too."

Lorne chuckled. "It's all possible, sir, but it's not going to come cheap. And some of it we'll need to hire out for."

"Money isn't a problem, it's finding reliable people to come do the work that concerns me. I'd say our best bet is to piece the work out, and have a lot of different people only doing small parts. It's more personnel to worry about, yes, but if a spy does get in, it limits what they have access to—or what a worker can be made to talk about later."

"Whatever you think is best,” Lorne agreed. “I'd prefer no one but us was on property, but I don’t think that's a possibility."

"Yeah, not for a safe room. To do it right, we just don't have the kind of manpower required. I'm uncomfortable with having more people here too, but we have to weigh out the options."

"Let's work up the details and make a final decision tonight. We might need to bring your brother into this to do background checks."

"Probably. And don't be surprised if my father shows up,” John warned. “This has gotten deep enough, that he's going to take a personal interest sooner or later. Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't shown up yet."

"Great,” Lorne said unenthusiastically. “We're going to need a bigger team if he shows up. That's like a lighthouse beacon to anyone looking."

John sighed. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

Lorne rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay. We need to research construction firms ASAP and get them working. Besides food, that's our first priority."

"I'll get started on that now, if you want to handle the rest of the supply list and get Beckett and Cadman out so they can get back."

"Yeah. And we should probably find out what McKay's up to. It's too quiet."

"Hopefully making his own list."

"Hopefully, but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not where we left him."

John chuckled. "He doesn't seem like the type to stay put for long."

"No. Unless he's deep in the data, he could be just about anywhere." Lorne gestured for John to precede him back into the house. "At the lab, when he was quiet, people started to worry."

"Good to know." John glanced into the dining room, not surprised McKay wasn't there. "I'll go find him. Looks like he left his list for us though so go ahead and get that started. I'd like everyone back here before dark."

Lorne checked his watch and frowned, immediately tugging it off. "What time is it anyway? I never changed this when we landed."

John did a quick mental calculation in his head. "About 1pm."

Lorne nodded as he tinkered with his watch as he headed to the kitchen where John could see Carson puttering.

Since McKay wasn't in there either, John started wandering through the house, looking for the other man.

He headed up the stairs toward the bedrooms and heard Rodney and Cadman before he saw them, catching part of their conversation.

"…wasn't supposed to be like this. Nothing is worth this much trouble."

"Rodney, you can't talk like that. You know Elizabeth would have stood by you no matter what happened, but you left! We didn't know where you went. We're you're friends, Rodney, even if you don't think you deserve us."

John made a point of making some noise before he came in, so they would know he was there.

Cadman offered him a smile from where she stood next to Rodney who was gazing out the window of the master bedroom. "Sir."

"I think Lorne is looking for you. He has the supply lists for you and Carson." John gave her a small smile.

"Oh, good. We need to get moving since we need a shitload of stuff."

"Exactly."

"I'll collect Carson and head out,” Cadman told them. “I'll call as soon as we can get a time estimate. I have no idea where everything is, so it'll take a while. We'll keep you updated. If you have any changes, text me."

"We will. I'm hoping you guys can be back before dark. Be fast, but be safe. Let us know if you have any problems."

"We might end up making two trips. One today and one tomorrow." She waved as she headed down the hall, disappearing from view.

John moved closer to Rodney, and slipped his hands around the other man's waist from behind, resting his chin on Rodney's shoulder. "So why do you think you aren't worth being loved?"

Rodney stiffened, but didn't move away. "How much did you hear?"

"Just the end. I made noise as soon as I heard you talking. But you have to know, you have friends. These people are loyal to you, Rodney. They care about you, and would be devastated if something happened. I would be devastated."

"I'll keep your ninja skills in mind for future reference."

"Product of my training. I don't think about it, to be honest. I have to make an effort to make noise when I walk. And you're avoiding the real point here."

"I'm admiring the view that I'll only be able to see from a window from now until…someone kidnaps me again or kills me."

"This isn't permanent. I'm going to make them understand they can't touch you, Rodney. I will make you safe."

"And I've uprooted the only family I have and put them in harm's way. I know I wasn't a good brother before this, but god, my sister must hate me now. Family wasn't a big thing for me. It never was even growing up. But I’m not so selfish to think that this only affects me now."

"You didn't know where else to go, and they don't blame you. You didn't ask for this, you didn't do anything to court it. You're a victim, Rodney, and no one is going to blame you for that. Put the blame where it belongs, on Genii."

Rodney huffed and shook his head. "You got my list?"

"Yeah. Lorne is adding it to the list we made. We're also going to start vetting some construction companies. I'd like to build a safe room and security command center in the basement. It would be a last resort, but it would at least give you and your sister and her family somewhere to go where you'd be safe and could direct us to the intruders if it came to that."

"Fine."

John sighed softly. "What else can I do to make this…not okay, because it's not and I know that. But... easier at least? We have people out there working on neutralizing the threat, and I hope it doesn't take long. But I don't want you to feel like this is just another kind of prison."

"I don't know, but I agreed to this and I have to live with it. I know that."

"We all just want to keep you safe, not smother you. Please, at least promise me you'll let me know if it starts to be too much,” John begged. “I know I can go overboard trying to protect people sometimes."

Rodney nodded, letting out a soft sigh. "I know. I just need my mind to stop spinning but I don't want to ask Carson for anything. He's a little too free with the drugs as is—and enjoys putting me out on my ass far too much if you ask me."

"I can relate to that. I hate being drugged." Pulling away, John went and shut the door to the room and returned to Rodney. "Why don't we see if I can distract you a bit the old fashioned way?"

Rodney turned his head, looking over his shoulder at John—the first time since he'd walked in the room. "Can we not do that right now? As much as I hate to admit that I’m turning you down, but I’m not in the mood."

"It's okay." John wrapped his arms back around the other man. "Just tell me what you need."

"I don't know. I want this to have never happened. I want to be back in my house. I want my cat back. But even I can't turn back time."

"What happened to your cat?"

Rodney shrugged. "He was gone when I got back there."

"When I check in with Elizabeth on the secure line later, I'll ask her to send someone to see if they can find him," John offered.

"Probably dead or something."

"I don't know. But if he can be found, we'll make sure he's somewhere safe until you can go back to get him."

"Why does crazy always find me? Can you explain that to me? Is it just some screwed up law of physics I haven't figured out yet?"

"Because you're brilliant and sexy and some people get so jealous, they want to try and break what they can't have,” John grinned. “I wish humans weren't so... selfish sometimes, but sadly, I've seen it happen before."

Rodney shook his head. "Is there anything to eat?"

"There's a bit downstairs. Stocking the pantry completely is one of the things Carson and Cadman are going to do now."

"I should eat a little something and if there's a laptop around I'd like to try to work."

"Okay. The secure laptops are downstairs, so you can work on one of those. I'll make sandwiches."

"I'd like to pretend something is normal even though I know it's not."

John stepped back and took Rodney's hand, leading him back down the stairs. "I can understand that. We'll try to keep it as normal as we can for all of you. I hope we can get it resolved quickly so you don't have to be a prisoner here anymore."

"You're building a safe room,” Rodney complained. “This won't be over anytime soon."

"Well, to be honest, I'm hoping to use this as a permanent retreat even after this is over. I like this house, and I'm thinking of making it my permanent residence. Having the security system in a safe room that can't be cut off from the outside is just prudent."

"Of course," Rodney sniffed as they stepped off the last stair. Madison was sitting on the floor playing with her dolls, while Jeanie and Caleb were in the kitchen, puttering around and chatting with Lorne. There was coffee brewing and it looked like sandwiches were just underway.

John grabbed one of the laptops he'd spent a good deal of time making sure hadn't been compromised on the plane and handed it to Rodney. "This has a direct, secure connection to Atlantis' servers, so you can work on anything you need to."

"Thanks," Rodney muttered, heading for the comfiest-looking chair in the downstairs living area. The fact that there was a solid wall at its back and it overlooked the glass windows and the view outside wasn't missed on John.

John slid into one of the stools at the kitchen counter, grabbing a laptop of his own. He needed to at least pretend to check his messages, now that he didn't have anyone to go through them and pull out the important stuff.

"We don't have a lot here, so you're stuck with peanut butter and jelly," Jeannie said as she slid a plate across the counter to him. "Coffee will be ready in a few minutes. There's no milk or cream."

"That's fine. I don't mind it black. We'll have more choices when the others get back from the supply run though."

"Madison was hungry,” Jeannie explained, “so I was happy we brought these from the plane. At least it's something."

"Rodney said he was hungry, too. We'll make a big dinner tonight."

"He's always hungry," Jeannie snorted derisively.

"From what I've read about hypoglycemia,” John defended his friend, “it's pretty normal for the condition."

"If he really has it."

John frowned at her. "He didn't set out to inconvenience you or your family, you know. He was lost, and he came to you hoping it would be a sanctuary to recover from some pretty horrible things he's been through. He had no way of knowing it wasn't over."

"He never intends to do anything that he ends up doing," Jeannie sneered. "But it happens. I just want this resolved so we can go back to our lives."

"But he's trying. I can see how much it hurts him. He believes you hate him, and will never forgive him for this. But like I told him, none of this is his fault. He didn't ask to have armed men kidnap him out of his home and torture him for days until we could get him out. He didn't ask to be chased out of town, or to be followed by men intent on capturing or killing him. That's all on Genii, who are the real enemies here. Don't put all that on him. He's the victim here. The rest of us are just in the way as the bad guys try to get to him to hurt him."

"I'm not arguing that it didn't happen,” Jeannie conceded. “I can see with my own eyes the lingering bruises and injuries, but things always happen to him. He had a good thing with Thor and with Samantha, but he couldn't hang onto that either." She breathed deeply, visibly calming herself. "I'm not looking for you to defend him—but you obviously are—so I'll just keep my opinions to myself and thank you for keeping me and my family safe."

"Have you met Carter?” John argued. “I had the displeasure of meeting her—before I met your brother, I'd like to point out—and I pretty much hated her on sight. She's rude, mean, and frankly I wouldn't hire her if she were the last scientist on earth. I don't know what happened between them, but she's a serious bitch. As to things happening to him..." John sighed. "He's a brilliant man, Jeannie. And there are a lot of people out there who don't care about ethics or morality, who want to be like him, or, barring that, want to force him to work for them. And when they can't have that, you get situations like this. They don't care who they have to hurt, as long as they get what they want. By virtue of the gifts he was born with, he'll always be a target for men like that. It's sad and unfair, but true nonetheless."

Caleb stepped up behind Jeannie, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Honey, we talked about this. What's done is done and we just need to make the best of it."

John nodded to him, agreeing. If she couldn't let hold of her old grudges toward her brother, they could never really reconcile.

"You didn't grow up with him," she huffed in a way just like her brother.

Caleb offered a small smile, squeezing her shoulder. "No, but he's also not the devil incarnate. How are we doing on those sandwiches?"

John let him change the conversation, letting it flow around him for a few minutes as he went back to his email, responding to a few things from his brother that needed his attention.

It seemed like Lorne had already gotten his brother on board with the construction company research—if the emails were anything to go by. There were a few background checks already in his box. They'd have a few options from the looks of it.

He went through them, tagging two he wanted to get more in-depth information on and getting that back to Dave.

There was a lot of paperwork, too. Expenses and things he needed to approve and push forward. This whole…taking over a division was a lot of paperwork.

He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting working until someone touched his arm.

Bright blue eyes looked up at him. "Don't you like your sandwich?"

He blinked, and then looked at the sandwich that had sat untouched next to him. "Hi. I haven't tried it yet. I guess I got too busy to eat. How was yours?"

"Yummy. Mommy makes the bestest."

"Good to know,” John chuckled. “I'd better eat it then, or she might get mad at me."

Madison nodded very seriously. "Mommy yells when she's mad."

"I think that runs in her family." John smiled at her, and picked up the sandwich, taking a big bite.

"Why does your hair stand up funny?"

"That runs in my family." He made a face and ran his free hand through it. "It never stays down, no matter what I try."

She giggled. "It looks funny."

He made a silly face at her. "Nuh uh!"

"It does. Just like daddy in the morning sometimes after mommy yells at him."

John raised an eyebrow. "She yells at him in the morning, eh?"

"Uh huh," she nodded. "He shushes her and tells her to be quiet, that they'd wake me. But I'm already awake."

John had to fight not to grin. "I don't think they're fighting, so you don't need to worry about that. Adults just sometimes like to... talk loudly in the mornings."

"But mommy doesn't like it when I get all….ram…bunk…ish in the morning," Madison argued seriously.

"There's a difference, kiddo." John chuckled. "When you get older, you'll figure it out."

She wrinkled her nose. "Can we go play on the beach?"

"You'll have to ask your mom and dad."

Madison planted her hands on her hip and frowned. "Daddy told me to ask you."

John looked up and shot a look at Caleb and Jeannie. "Why don't we go ask them together then?"

Madison considered it for a long moment and John had to stop himself from smiling. She was so much like her uncle and mother—just in the mannerisms. It was a little uncanny in some ways. "Okay," she finally said, "but you have to talk to them."

John closed his laptop and stood up, taking her hand as they walked over to Jeannie and Caleb. "Madison has asked me to ask you if she is allowed to go play on the beach."

Jeannie sighed and opened her mouth to say something, but Caleb cut her off before she could begin. "No, we asked her to find out of it was allowed for her to go outside." He shifted his gaze to John. "We don't know what the ground rules are."

John figured it was something like that. He smiled. "Well, this is a private beach, so as long as security knows where you are, and you stay in sight of the house, it should be fine. If anything changes, though, we'll let you know. I plan to get some surfing in myself if I get the chance."

Caleb smiled at him and then turned his attention back to Madison. "Yes, you can, but let Evan know."

She pulled her hand out of his and went running, calling for Lorne, which made John chuckle.

"Meredith said we weren't allowed outside," Jeannie explained.

"His security is a little tighter, since he's the one people actually want to kill or kidnap."

"Right," Jeannie said tightly. "Do you know when we'll be able to go out to the stores? We're going to need some clothes and whatnot. I know Madison needs a bathing suit among other things. We only have the bare basics."

"We sent Carson and Cadman to the store a little while ago,” John told her, “and quite a bit of what they're getting includes basics. If everything still looks okay tomorrow, I don’t have any problem with you and Caleb going out, as long as someone from security goes with you."

"We'll make the arrangement with Evan," Caleb said with an easy smile. "We'd like to see a little of the Island while we're here—even if it is just the mall."

"I don't blame you. It's beautiful here." John sighed. "I really don't want you to feel like prisoners, and I'm sorry you were dragged into this. In a few days, hopefully, we'll have more information. As long as we think it's safe, we can even see about getting you some tours of the islands, or anything else you want to do."

"That sounds great. We appreciate it," Caleb said. "We'll let you get back to work and take the chance to sit outside while Madison gets out all of her energy."

"Enjoy the beach." John watched them walk out, and sighed again, sinking down into a chair and rubbing his face. How was he going to protect all these people? How was he ever going to make any of them feel safe again?"

He didn't know how long he sat there, head in his hands, before the front door banged open, spilling Carson—hands full of packages—into the house.

John stood up, moving over to help take some of the burden. "Looks like you guys bought out the mall."

"We had to come back because we ran out of room," Carson laughed, adding his thanks. "We still have to hit the warehouse store. This was just the grocery store."

Shaking his head, John started putting things away as they talked. "Damn. It's like we're feeding a full battalion."

"You wanted supplies," Cadman huffed, dumping bags on the counter as Carson headed back out.

"Not complaining." John chuckled. "I'm just glad everyone will stop complaining about being hungry."

Cadman chuckled. "Doubtful. I know McKay will be the first to stand at the full fridge and complain there's nothing to eat."

"That is a man's right in this life." John grinned at her.

"Whatever. She rolled her eyes and headed out just as Carson wandered back in, arms full. He dumped the bags on the counter and headed back out. They made several more trips until the kitchen looked like a grocery store had exploded in the middle of the room.

John had continued to put things away, and once everything was in, they joined him, making short work of getting it all stashed.

"We bought a small pack of TP," Cadman said, "but we'll need to head to the warehouse store to get the bulk supplies. Unless you want the truck for something else?"

"Jeannie and Caleb mentioned wanting to pick up some clothes and things at the mall. If you want to coordinate with them so they can take it later, or tomorrow, I'd appreciate it. I know Jeannie is resenting the hell out me and Rodney for all this, so if we can make it easier on her, I'd like to try."

"We can go now, if they want. The warehouse is open until 11 tonight, so we can even swing by later when it's less busy."

"They're outside with Madison. Let me go ask them."

"I'll go," Cadman intervened, already on the move. "We might want to rent another vehicle so no one gets stranded."

"Not a bad idea." It didn't take long before all five of them—they decided to take Madison—were back in the car and gone again. Shaking his head at the whirlwind of people, John went outside and sat on one of the abandoned chairs, looking out over the ocean.

Lorne settled down next to him a little while later. "You okay, sir?"

John shrugged. "I'll be fine. Just out here worrying."

"We'll get it all sorted."

"I hope so. We've uprooted a lot of people, and Genii is still out there determined to try and take by force someone who doesn't belong to them."

"I know. I'm going to need to give Elizabeth an update soon before she completely freaks out. But that can wait until a decent hour. Steaks for dinner? I think I saw a gas grill around the side just off the kitchen."

"Yeah, that will go over well. And if I forget, when you talk to Elizabeth, can you ask her to have someone keep an eye out around Rodney's neighborhood for his cat. He mentioned that it was gone when he finally got back from being kidnapped."

"Oh…about that," Lorne winced. "We found the cat. He wouldn't want him back."

John raised an eyebrow. "What happened to it?"

"We found it in the woods near the back of the house. Well, what was left of it." Lorne shrugged. "It might be better for him to think his cat just…wandered off and is with a nice family."

John grimaced. "Yeah, okay. Maybe I'll get him a kitten."

"Once this is over."

"Yeah," John agreed.

"So, steak?"

"Yeah. I think there's stuff in there for a salad too. I'll put that together to go with the steak so Beckett doesn't feel the need to lecture us."

"You sure you want to?” Lorne asked. “I can get it started. I think I saw potatoes, too."

"I need something to do,” John shrugged. “Speaking of which, I saw the emails between you and Dave. I picked out two of them for him to do some more detailed checks on, and then we can make a final decision and move ahead."

"I saw that and I think your brother replied he'd get the reports to us as soon as he could."

"Good. The faster we can get started, the better."

"Want to get started on dinner or wait until Cadman is headed back with the Millers?"

"Probably wait,” John decided. “I don't want it to get cold, and we all had sandwiches so I don't think anyone is starving yet."

"Okay," Lorne said, letting the silence grow between them."

John watched the waves for a few minutes. "Once we get everything here a bit more settled, we need to come up with a plan to neutralize the threat. We've been reacting thus far. I'm getting tired of barely staying one step ahead of them."

"Agreed. We need to find out what they really want and how McKay is involved—apart from the obvious I mean."

"Exactly. This is more than just corporate espionage. You don't try to kidnap or kill someone because they won't work for you."

"Way more," Lorne nodded. "This has to be connected to something else. I should ask Miko to start digging. She'll be able to find connections."

"Yeah. And Doctor Zelenka, as well,” John suggested. “Between the two of them, hopefully they can dig up something we can use to end this."

"Miko's better," Lorne said. "Doctor Z is better with mechanical stuff. He can fix anything."

"Okay. You know them better than I do, so let's see what she can turn up and go from there."

"I'll add it to my list for when I talk to Elizabeth." Lorne stretched in the chair, yawning widely. "This multi-time zone traveling this sucks."

"You get used to it after a while."

"I don't think I want to, in all honestly,” Lorne admitted. “This was more action than I've seen in a long time."

John snorted. "No kidding. I travel a lot, but it had been a while since I was shot. I forgot how much that fucking hurts."

Lorne laughed. "Yes, sir, that it does. I wouldn't recommend it, generally."

"No, that was one of the few job perks I had—not getting shot."

"Always a good perk," Lorne said, rising to his feet. "I'm going to take a walk around the property. It's too quiet and I'm paranoid. I'll be back in about thirty. I want to check it out a little more closely anyway."

"If I'm not here, I'll be in the house somewhere."

Lorne waved at him in acknowledgement before vanishing around the side of the house.

John watched the waves for a while longer before getting up. He wanted to check on Rodney before he started dinner.

Lorne was right. It was very quiet here—apart from the sound of the surf and the wind. As soon as he stepped inside, it quieted more, the soft whoosh of the AC the only sound in the house. Rodney's computer was poised on the edge of the coffee table, the screen saver spilling silently.

John started a systematic scientist hunt.

The downstairs was clear. So was the basement—even though John didn't think Rodney would head down there voluntarily. John headed upstairs, bypassing the other rooms and heading for the master bedroom where the door was closed.

He knocked quietly once and then pushed it open, discovering Rodney dead asleep in the middle of the king-sized bed.

Smiling, John moved silently to the bed, taking the opportunity to just look at the other man. He wasn't traditionally beautiful, or what John would call his "type", but something about him just called to John. He wanted him with a strength that surprised him. And not just for sex. John wanted to protect him, have coffee and snark in the mornings, and be there to cheer him on when he won a Nobel.

Rodney shifted on the bed, rolling onto his stomach and pushing down the sheet to reveal a lot of skin—much to John's surprise. Sure enough, Rodney's clothes were in a pile on the floor next to the bathroom door.

John's cock jumped, wanting a piece of the action, but he ruthlessly pushed it aside, swallowing hard. Christ, he wanted to strip down and wrap himself around Rodney's body.

And the completely bare skin—with the glimpse of the top of Rodney's ass—wasn't helping matters.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to take a step back. Rodney had made it clear he wasn't ready for this yet, and John wasn't going to press him. The man had been through a lot, and taking away his choices about sex wouldn't go over well.

Rodney shifted again on the bed, making a quiet, pained sound.

Telling his cock to behave, John carefully sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Rodney's back. "It's okay. You're safe."

Rodney relaxed almost immediately, quieting down. His skin was softer than John expected and very warm to the touch.

John kept up the rubbing, keeping his voice low and soothing as he did, telling Rodney he was safe and that John would protect him, no matter what.

He was so, so screwed.

Carefully, John toed off his shoes—but left everything else in place to remind him not to try anything—and settled next to Rodney, pulling the other man into his arms. He pressed a soft kiss to Rodney's shoulder as he did, just wanting to offer some comfort.

Rodney sighed and relaxed further, his body adjusting to mold itself against John's. His breathing evened out even more and deepened as he slid deeper into slumber.

John closed his eyes and let himself drift, giving himself permission to rest, for just a little while.

A light knock on the door roused him. "Sir, did you want dinner?"

John lifted his head, blinking to see Cadman’s face peering around the door. It was dark, so he guessed he must have drifted off for a while. He sat up slowly, rubbing at his face. "Yeah. Probably." He gently touched Rodney's shoulder, shaking him a bit. "Hey, Rodney, wake up. Dinner's ready, and I know you probably need to eat."

"Steaks will be ready in ten," Cadman announced as she closed the door behind her.

John nodded, more to himself, his attention mostly on Rodney.

They'd shifted while they slept and Rodney had turned to face him, tucking his head under John's chin. John could still feel the warmth where Rodney's head had been pressed against his chest—and the dampness from his drool. 

It made him smile. He brushed the hair out of Rodney's face, keeping his touches light and gentle. "Hey, buddy. I need you to wake up for me. I know you have to be careful to eat, and dinner will be ready soon."

Rodney twitched and he shifted, yawning and stretching—and rubbing himself against John. He rolled onto his back and finally opened his eyes, looking up at John. 

Smiling, John continued to lightly pet Rodney's shoulder. "Hey there."

Rodney licked his lips and held John's gaze. "Hey," he replied softly.

"Sleep okay?"

"Hmm…yeah." He blinked twice and tilted his head to the side. "You're overdressed."

Chuckling, John couldn't stop from running his hands through Rodney's hair again. "You said earlier you weren't ready for that. I knew if I took my clothes off, I wouldn't be able to keep my cock to myself."

"Hmm…I guess I did,” Rodney frowned. “No good morning…or whatever the hell time it is kiss?"

John couldn't resist that, so he leaned in, keeping the kiss sweet and gentle.

Rodney reached up, grasping the back of John's head and deepened it, adding tongue as he pressed up into him.

Moaning, John couldn't help the way his hips shifted and pressed against Rodney's body, his cock filling and hardening with want.

Rodney’s other hand slid down his back and his fingers found the edge of his shirt, sneaking underneath to touch skin.

John broke the kiss with a gasp. "I…Rodney, Christ, I want you. But I don't want to rush you."

"Just a little foreplay…" Rodney whispered, shifting to kiss him again.

John was panting hard. "I don't... think I can keep from... Oh god..." John gave in and let Rodney pull him back in, pressing down hard to feel some friction against his trapped and now aching erection.

And god…Rodney could kiss. And it felt like his hands were everywhere at the same time. If kissing was like this, John couldn't imagine what it would be like without all the layers of clothes and blankets between them.

Sliding his hands down, John found that Rodney was as hard as he was. He wrapped a hand around him and started to stroke slowly.

Rodney groaned deep in the back of his throat as he threw back his head and arched into John's hand and his body. His fingers dug into John's back.

John moved down, kissing Rodney's neck and chest as he continued to slowly stroke him.

"Oh…God….John…so good…please…" Rodney was panting and pleading. 

He continued to kiss his way south, John stopped at the perky little nipples he found, taking time to lick and nip at them until both were hard and red.

The sounds Rodney made as John teased his nipples were divine—high pitched and breathy and desperate. His body's reactions—the shudders and trembling—were even better. 

When he had finished with them, John continued south, finally replacing his hand with his mouth on Rodney's leaking erection. John moaned around him, loving the way Rodney tasted, the way he felt, heavy and hot on his tongue.

Rodney let out a strangled cry and shuddered as soon as John's mouth engulfed him. He started begging shamelessly, pleading with John to let him come.

Keeping the same slow and steady pace John had used with his hands, he was determined to make this really good for Rodney. He reached down, fondling the other man's balls as he sucked.

"John!" Rodney yelled, his heels digging into the bed as the thrust up unconsciously.

Humming to encourage Rodney to do it again, John sped up his pace a bit.

Rodney clutched at the bed and thrust up two more times before he yelled John's name again and started coming.

John sucked hard, continuing until he had milked every last drop from Rodney, and then licking him carefully to make sure he had gotten it all, loving the little shudders of aftershocks it got him.

He pulled off, looking up at his completely wrecked lover. Rodney was still panting heavily, and looked thoroughly debauched. It was a good look for him. In other situations, John would simply turn him over or shift his legs, slick himself up, and push right in. Given the state of bonelessness, there would be no protest.

He had to press his hand hard against himself, reminding his cock that it wasn't time for that yet. He closed his eyes, breathing hard.

Rodney sighed and lifted his hand, managing to grab part of John's shirt and tug at him, trying to get him to move.

Gasping and panting, John let himself be pulled. He was so turned on he would let Rodney do whatever he wanted.

Rodney's other hand grasped at his pants, obviously trying to get the button and zipper undone, but instead only managed to add more pressure.

John moaned, pulling his hand free and deftly unbuttoning his fly, letting his erection pop free.

Rodney's hand grasped John's cock and Rodney hummed happily as he started to stroke him and nibble along his jaw-line.

John cried out, his hips shifting. "More, god, please, Rodney..."

"You'll get there," he murmured against John's neck. He did speed up his hand, though.

Panting hard, John gave out a low moan, his whole body bowing as he came, hard.

John whited out for a moment, but once he caught his breath and opened his eyes he had to groan. Rodney was licking the semen off his hand.

"Christ... so hot..."

"Tastes good. Didn't have the energy to move so…" Rodney shrugged, dropping his damp hand against John's side.

"You are the hottest person I've ever met," John gasped.

"Hmm…so are you, but I may have worked up an appetite."

"Well, there are steaks almost done downstairs. By the time we get dressed and head down, it should be ready."

"Steaks, eh?" Rodney yawned and stretched again. "Do we have to go out in public?"

"It's not really public. Just the few people here in the house."

"And my sister who will know we just did it,” Rodney whined. “Just like she knew I had sex when I was a teenager with Alton Gregory from down the street."

John hummed, rubbing his face against Rodney's skin. "And we care that she knows because?"

"I don't need her harping on my bisexuality."

"I won't let her. Besides, if I have my way, you'll only be having sex with me, so it's a moot point."

Rodney made some indistinct noise, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "I almost thought you were going to fuck me before."

"I wanted to, badly." John looked up and smiled. "But you said you weren't ready for that, and I'm trying really hard to respect your boundaries."

"Hmm…those tend to be flexible after I come."

"Yeah, but then when you come down off the orgasm, you'd resent me for taking advantage,” John said reasonably. “When I fuck you, I want us both to be hard and ready for it."

"I'm not going to object to you fucking me through the mattress. Least I wouldn't have before. I was too blissful to care." Rodney’s stomach chose that time to rumble, making them laugh. "I guess you really did make me work up an appetite."

"Mmm, my favorite way to get hungry." John rolled so he was on top of Rodney, pressing him down into the mattress and giving him a long, deep kiss.

Rodney groaned, his hands sliding under John's shirt, pushing it up. He spread his legs and let John settle in close.

John pressed them together again, loving the way Rodney felt under him. When they finally broke for air, John's body was trying it's best to get hard again. "Dinner. Let's eat so if we decide to come back here, we'll be set for the night."

"This is my room," Rodney said after a long moment. "I plan to sleep here."

"Our room. We're sharing, remember?"

"Hmm, yes, but you said if we decide to come back. I plan on it."

"Well, I meant if you decide you want to do some naked play time. I didn't want to assume."

Rodney's eyebrow rose. "Play time? What are you, five?"

Laughing, John rolled off the bed and held out a hand to Rodney. "Sometimes you have to embrace your inner child."

"My inner child has no desire to have a cock up his ass, so, no thank you," Rodney said as he let John tug him upright. There were splatters of come across his stomach and he made a face as soon as he saw them. "Did you have to get it all over me? Now I have to shower and I might pass out from manly hunger before I get downstairs for food."

John held his hand as they walked into the bathroom. "I didn't say revert to a child. Just letting the playful side come out. Nothing wrong with a little play." He got a washcloth and wet it down, starting to carefully clean Rodney's body.

Rodney was oddly still as he leaned against the bathroom counter, watching John as he cleaned him up. "You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "And besides, I'm at a distinct disadvantage…you still have all your clothes on."

"I only have my clothes on to remind my cock it can't be in your ass until it's invited."

Rodney snorted quietly. "Right. Are we going back to those chained-to-your-bed-so-you-can-fuck-me-whenever-you-want fantasies again?"

John sucked in a breath. "Well, yeah, I still find that idea incredibly hot, but just normal sex, lots and lots of sex, is okay, too."

"Yeah, well, we can't exactly pass up the opportunity to explore this whole…bodyguard thing you have going on. Given the right mood, I might not object to being at your mercy." He leaned forward as he spoke, breath ghosting over John's lips.

John stilled, letting Rodney kiss him lightly. "I want to keep you safe. I've never felt like this before, but I.... I want you, and I want to protect you."

"And I said I'd let you. I don't go back on my word. I might not like it at times, but I'm trying my best to suck it up and deal with it. Okay?"

"That works. Thank you for that, by the way. If I couldn't protect you, I think I'd go crazy with worry. Knowing I can at least do this... it helps."

Rodney hummed and snaked his hands around John's waist, tugging him closer. He leaned his head against John's shoulder, letting out a deep breath. "Should I admit that a part of my really big brain is very turned on right now?"

"Mmmm, good, because so am I. But we need to eat first. I don't want you to get sick. And if we eat now, we can have lots of sex all night."

"Maybe," Rodney agreed coyly.

"Yeah. Only if you want to."

"And if we're in the mood."

"Yeah."

Rodney rubbed against John's clothed body, his hands sliding in the back pockets of John's jeans. 

Humming, John leaned down for another leisurely kiss.

The outside door to the bedroom slammed opened.

They both jumped. "Hello?"

"Lad, you should have been downstairs twenty minutes ago. Rodney, are you already spreading your clothes—" Carson turned the corner, stopping dead when he spotted them in the bathroom.

John moved slightly so Rodney's body was blocked from view. "We'll be down in a few minutes, Carson. We were just... freshening up."

"Carson, you have to knock first! Didn't we have this conversation…oh, I don't know…the last time you walked in on me?" Rodney glared over John's shoulder.

John nodded. "I agree. You should knock first."

"Well, maybe you should lock the door," Carson blustered, turning red, but not moving. His eyes were locked with Rodney's. "And what did we talk about when we were in the cottage? What happened to that?"

John raised an eyebrow.

"The last time I checked I was a grown man. I'd really like you to leave because even though you are my doctor there is no need for you to see me like this. Knowing my sister, if you don’t come back she'll be right behind you and the last thing I need—"

"Meredith! Dinner is getting cold." 

John closed his eyes briefly as Jeannie Miller came barging in. "Seriously, you people need to learn to knock."

"Are you naked?" John didn't think Jeannie's voice could get any higher.

"Yes. Yes, I'm naked. Yes, we had sex. And yes it was consensual. And why are you still in my bedroom staring at us?" Rodney was yelling at them over John's shoulder, his right hand swinging. John held on tight. There was no need for Rodney's private parts should be on display.

"And I was really hoping to get laid again sometime this century, which will be rather difficult if you people don't get the hell out of our bedroom. We'll be down for dinner in a few minutes."

"Come on, lass," Carson said, starting to usher Jeannie out. "Let's give them a few minutes to get themselves together, aye?"

"Don't think you're getting out of this conversation just because you're naked, Meredith,” Jeannie threatened. “We're not finished."

John cut in before Jeannie could. "I'm sorry Mrs. Miller,” John said angrily, “but I'm not comfortable with discussing our sex life with you. You'll have to be content to imagine how fucking hot I am naked and wonder how good of a lay I am, because, while I won't forbid it of course, your brother is under no obligation to give you details about who he sleeps with. He's a grown man and can make his own decisions."

"Come on, lassie, we don't want to burn those lovely brownies you made…" The closing of the door cut off the rest of what Carson was saying as he finally got Jeannie out of their bedroom.

Rodney pressed his forehead to John's neck. "I hate my life."

Turning, John wrapped his arms back around Rodney. "I meant it. She's your sister, not your keeper. If you tell her you don't want to discuss your sex life, I'll back you up and say cutting and inappropriate things every chance I get until she gets the hint."

"It's like she's a bloodhound,” Rodney fumed. “She has a sixth sense for these things."

"I get the impression she cares about you, but really has no idea how to show it. So it comes out as kind of bossy and nosy."

"God. Can this get any worse? I'm just glad Madison didn't follow her up here."

"Yeah, I'd have to draw the line at a child seeing you naked."

Rodney sighed. "I should probably get dressed before someone else decides our room is Grand Central Station."

"Yeah. Let's go down to dinner before they send anyone else up to find us."

Rodney pulled away, heading for the walk-in closet where he'd apparently already stored his clothes. He emerged a few minutes later, barefoot, but dressed. The few minutes had given John a chance to wind himself down so he didn't give Carson and Jeannie a piece of his mind.

He knew they just cared about him, and, like John, wanted what was best. But they both needed to learn how to knock on a goddamned door before coming in.

"You ready?" Rodney asked, looking tired and tense—and a little pale. "I should eat something soon."

John just took his hand and led him downstairs.

Everyone was outside on the deck when they got down there, scattered all over the patio furniture. Lorne was at the grill—a loud, Hawaii-print apron in place. "How do you want your meat?"

Cadman snickered into her hand even as Carson elbowed her in the side. Rodney's mouth just tightened. 

John ignored them all. "Medium please. Rodney, how do you like your steak?"

"Medium rare," he replied, his eyes narrowed at his sister.

John looked over at her, giving her a hard look. She had opened her mouth to say something, and John was gratified to see it snap closed.

"Your steaks are coming right up. Give me a few minutes to get them just right," Lorne said as he dropped two steaks on the grill. "There's salad and potatoes on the sideboard. Help yourself."

John led Rodney over to the table, grabbing plates for both of them and handing one to Rodney. It didn't take them long to get what they wanted, and by that time, Lorne had the steaks ready to go. They found a spot at the table and sat down to eat.

Rodney kept his head down, shoveling food in like it was going out of style. John, though, took his time, enjoying the steak. Lorne had done a good job with them.

"Anyone want anything else from the grill before I shut it down?"

"I'm good." John glanced at his lover. "Rodney?"

He shook his head, polishing off the last bite of his steak. He moved onto his baked potato—which was loaded with butter and sour cream.

John caught Lorne's eye and shook his head.

"Anyone else?" Lorne glanced around the deck.

"I couldn't eat another bite," Caleb said. "If you keep cooking like that, I'm going to weigh a ton by the time we go home."

"Aye, I'm good as well, lad. You fed us well," Carson added.

"Alright. The grill's going off for the night. You can forage for snacks on your own later if you need something," he said, turning off the burners on the huge built-in grill. He dropped the tongs and other barbeque utensils in the large outdoor sink where a few others dishes were already sitting. "I cooked, so someone else can clean up."

"I'll do it. I don't mind." John stood up and headed for the sink.

"No," Caleb interrupted. "Jeannie and I will take care of it. It's only fair."

John glanced over. "If you want to, I don't mind. But I figure we can all share all the chores so no one feels like they're getting stuck with all the work."

"Tonight, we'll take care of it," Caleb said with a smile. "It's only fair after…" His eyes drifted over to his wife. "Besides, you haven't really had the chance to wind down yet. We have."

With a soft snort, John sat back down with a small bow to Caleb. He figured Jeannie hadn't been able to keep her mouth shut when she first came down. At least her husband had good manners.

The rest of dinner passed easily, the conversation flowing around them—even though Rodney and Jeannie were arguing silently with each other. That is, if the looks flowing between them were any indication. Thankfully Caleb pulled Jeannie into the clean up, breaking the mind games the siblings were playing.

John could relate, which was why he hadn't stopped it completely sooner. He and Dave had their share of issues.

Rodney rose to his feet, wandering toward the edge of the deck. John followed, wrapping his arms around the other man from behind. "You okay?"

He shrugged, leaning into John a little. The sun was setting and it was a gorgeous night. "Am I allowed to walk on the beach at all?"

"Of course. Just please take me or someone else with you, for now at least. I'm going to get you a panic button to carry, so you can come and go as you please and still have a way to let us know if you need us. Want to go walk now?"

Rodney nodded. "I'd like to, yes."

John glanced behind him. "Lorne, Rodney and I are going to walk on the beach. We'll be back in a bit."

"Just don't go past the line of rocks,” Lorne cautioned. “You'll know what I mean when you see it. It stretches into the water."

"Sounds good." John stepped back so he could take Rodney's hand as they started for the beach.

Rodney was quiet as they walked down to the beach, their bare feet silent in the sand. The white sand was still warm from the afternoon sun. John gave him some space, knowing Rodney needed some time to process everything.

"How long…how long do you think we'll be here?" Rodney asked eventually.

"I don't know. I'm hoping we can wrap things up quickly. Once we have a chance to consolidate and plan a bit, we're going to start looking for ways to stop Genii completely."

Rodney nodded. "So this is kind of…indefinite, eh?"

"For the moment." John looked around. "As I said, I really like this house. I'm sort of hoping maybe I can convince you to stay here, at least part of the year, and work remotely."

"So you actually think you'll be able to stop the Genii."

"Yes."

Rodney sighed. "I wish I had your optimism."

"I know right now it doesn't feel like it. But we will. You're not going to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder. I won't let them do that to you."

"Maybe. I could be dead when this is all over."

"You won't be." John stopped and pulled Rodney into his arms. "I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."

Rodney sighed again, but let John hold him. He held on, his fingers grazing the skin just above John's waistband.

"What else is bothering you?"

"My sister. The situation. Just…everything."

John pressed a kiss to Rodney's forehead. "I know I can't just snap my fingers and make everything okay, but please, tell me what I can do to help you relax."

"This is good."

"Mmm, I like this, too."

"Good. That's…good."

John hummed and kissed him, slow and deep, taking his time to learn and enjoy Rodney's mouth. He tasted like steak and potatoes and something else that was distinctly Rodney. Their kiss was easy and unhurried, the wind ruffling their hair. 

When they broke it was natural, and John felt... more connected to a person than he ever had in his life.

"God…I want you," Rodney whispered. "You're too damn addictive for your own good."

"Ditto," John whispered. "I want to make declarations to you that I don't think you're ready to hear yet. Then I want to drag you back to the house and pleasure you all night long."

"We have to bar and lock the door. There is no way I want my sister walking in on us."

"Yeah. Locking the door is a must."

"Maybe locking them in their own room would be an option, too."

John chuckled. "Always an option as well."

Rodney sighed. "I told you she was a bloodhound."

"Well, she's just going to have to learn to be content to not know everything."

"Right," Rodney snorted. "I don't think that's possible."

"Like I said, I'll just make cutting and highly inappropriate remarks until she stops."

"I doubt that will stop her,” Rodney said gloomily. “She is used to dealing with me, you know."

"Yeah, but she knows what to expect from you, and you won't make sexual references to her because she's your sister. I don't have that problem," John grinned.

"Right. And then she'll start lusting after you instead of her husband. Good plan there."

"She's not going to lust after me. Besides, she's not my type."

Rodney snorted. "She will. I know her." He pulled away from John's embrace to stand at his side, gazing out across the water.

John sighed. He took Rodney's hand again. He had never wanted to both please and protect someone like this before, so he was at a loss as to what to do.

"For a place to die, you picked a nice place. I have to give you that."

"You're not going to die."

"You don't know that. I should have been dead after what they did." He shrugged. "I'm just…realistic."

"But you're not dead because we won't let them hurt you. And I'll continue to make sure they can't."

"Eventually you'll let down your guard. I know that it's only a matter of time and I'm oddly okay with that since I'll have been able to have you…at least for a little while." Rodney turned, offering a smile. "So…I think I know I nice place where we can lock the door so nosey siblings can't get in. Interested?"

John decided to let it lie. He knew only time would fix that problem. He smiled and nodded. "I am extremely interested."

"I’m hopeful you were a Boy Scout in a previous life, too," Rodney said as he turned, heading back toward the house.

"I was an Air Force special ops pilot. That's better than a boy scout."

"Well, I was hoping you'd be prepared for just about anything…"

"Always."

Rodney snorted, smiling shyly. "Well, you're certainly more prepared than me with a lot of things lately."

Lorne was waiting for them when they got back to the house. "Sir, Doctor Weir is waiting for you."

John sighed. The universe was conspiring to kill his sex life.

"Isn't it like four in the morning there?" Rodney asked, narrowing his eyes at Lorne, who sighed and nodded. 

"There was an attempted break-in at the offices—and through the firewall."

John rubbed at his face. "Then we need to talk to her. Rodney, do you want to listen in as well?"

"Actually, Doctor Zelenka wants you to call him separately," Lorne said, looking at Rodney. "He and Miko want to go over some stuff with you."

John nodded. That made sense to him. Put the actual brains together to do their thing, while he, Lorne and Weir figured out the security side of it.

"I'll take the call upstairs," Rodney said, pulling away from John. "There's a cell up there?"

"Yeah, it's all set up and waiting for you, along with the secure laptop."

"Good, good," Rodney said absently as he headed up the stairs to the master bedroom. 

Lorne offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sir. I know you had other plans for the night."

John shook his head. "Not your fault. And the sooner we deal with these fuckers, the better. Let's go talk to Weir."

"She was trying to catch us before it got too late here." Lorne led him to a small room—an office from the looks of it—where his computer was booted up and sitting on the desk. The phone was blinking. "I have her on hold."

John nodded, sprawling into one of the chairs before he nodded for Lorne to bring her up. "Elizabeth? This is John."

"Sorry to bother you so late. It's going on ten there isn't it?"

"It's later there for you, so don't worry about it. What happened?"

"We've asked the local police to increase patrols to the area—in addition to hiring some extra on-site security—and it seems like they were both good ideas. The rear door—the one leading down toward the water—was tampered with. The alarms and the on-site security saw two men heading for the water and a boat."

"Did they get anything, or were they put off before they could actually get inside?" John asked.

"It looks like they managed to open the door, but as soon as they did the alarm sounded. There was maybe…a minute or two before the guards got there and they were already down the hill. It’s mostly hallway right there, but the server rooms are the closest. That door was still intact."

"Good. I'll let you increase security as you see fit—I trust your judgment,” John offered. “I know McKay was just pulled into a call he's on now with Radek and Miko—I'm guessing they're going over the protocols from their end as well, and plugging up any holes."

"Yeah. It was a combined attack—physical and electronic. The ones on the ground were probably trying to get a physical connection to help with the hack."

"Hopefully that means they weren't able to get through the firewall either." John ran a hand through his hair. "Genii is seriously pissing me off. We need to decide on how to deal with the once and for all. I'm tired of just running defense."

"I know. It's almost like it all came out of nowhere."

"I don't think so,” John disagreed. “I think they've been quietly kidnapping scientists all over the world. They're trying to find something, or more likely build something, and they're probably torturing names out of the people they take, which is how they get a next target. They've stuck with lower visibility targets to this point to keep the whole thing hidden, but whatever they need, they've decided Rodney is the only one who can help them at this point, so they're willing to risk it all to get him."

"But why Rodney?" Weir asked.

"I don't know. I assume he knows or can build whatever it is they need."

"He doesn't build anything they would want. He's still very theoretical."

"Then something in his theory has sparked their interest." John sighed again. "If I knew, I'd tell you, believe me. I'm just trying to connect the dots we have."

"I have to admit that most of what they do down there is over my head, but Rodney isn't one to build something that's destructive. That's not like him," Weir told him. Lorne, though, was shaking his head.

John nodded to him. "It doesn't matter if he's built it, or is interested in building it. These people aren't looking for his willingness; they just want to force him to work. It actually makes sense that they're probably trying to build a weapon of some kind. They know Rodney has the knowledge and ability, but would refuse to do it for them any other way."

"And his record with the CIA probably made him a target, too," Lorne said quietly.

"CIA?" John questioned in surprise.

Lorne nodded. "He was building atom bombs as a kid—non-working models, of course."

John made a face. "Yeah. So he more than has the ability. If he could do that as a kid, he's a lot better now, whether he likes to admit it or not. Not building weapons is a personal choice then, not because he can't."

"Do you really know what goes on in the labs, ma'am? Is it a possibility?" Lorne asked.

She sighed. "I can't rule it out, no. I'd like to believe they wouldn't build something like that without telling me, but you're right, just because they aren't actually building anything, doesn't mean they can't."

"When they get intense…" Lorne shook his head. "It gets scary down there sometimes and I barely know what's going on."

"Yes,” Elizabeth agreed, “we employ some of the smartest people on the planet. I won't pretend I can keep up with them."

"I'm just saying," Lorne paused, looking uncomfortable. "We don't know what they want and Doctor McKay hasn't been all that forthcoming with information on that front. We might have to have that conversation sooner rather than later—whether or not it's a comfortable conversation."

John sighed. "You're right. I didn't want to push him, but if we're going to plan a successful operation, we need all of the information we can get."

"I think you should talk with Doctor Zelenka, too," Weir said. "He's the closest one on the science side who might actually know what's going on in the labs. Carson's a friend, but Rodney knows exactly how to bully him." She paused, seemingly to take a breath. She began again, cautiously. "I don't want to point fingers or impugn bad motives…especially after what he went through…but how do we know…how do we know that he didn't bring this on himself?"

John shook his head and defended his lover. "Even if he was messing around with something, he couldn't have known this would happen. We're not going to try and make him the enemy."

"I think we need to consider it," she disagreed.

"No." John sighed. "I know you're just trying to follow all the possible leads, but we're not going to look at that one. I'm not making him feel like he's under attack."

"I'm not happy about it, but we need to ask the questions…sir," Lorne said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Not right now we don't. If we hit a dead end every other way, I'll consider it, but right now, I think it's a waste of our time."

"At least have the conversation with Doctor Zelenka," Weir insisted.

"No."

"Sheppard, I don't think—"

"No." John let out a breath. "I don't care what either of you think of that decision at the moment. We're not going to treat him like he's a god damned enemy. He's the victim here, in case you've forgotten that."

"I haven't forgotten that," Weir said tightly, "but I also have to consider all possibilities."

"Well, we're not considering that one."

There was a deep silence and he could nearly feel her disapproval across the time zones. "Moving on. I would like to hire a few more security guards for the offices here."

"That's fine. Hire as many as you feel like you need."

"Make sure you get them vetted through Sheppard Industries and have Miko run a background check…her background check—before they step on premises," Lorne ordered. "I'm not taking any chances from this point on."

John nodded. "I agree. No sense giving them an easy way in."

"It'll take longer to get staff," Weir protested, but John could tell the argument was weak.

"I'll have David send over the list of people he's already preapproved,” John offered. “That should help shorten the time, since Miko will just have to do her check."

"You've already started the process for more security staff?"

"We've been looking at people for this safe house, so we've already started vetting security people."

"Oh," she said quietly. "If I can ask, when were you going to discuss this with me?"

"We just got here a few hours ago, and I had asked Lorne to arrange a call to fill you in tomorrow. We weren't going to bother you in the middle of the night."

"I see."

John let out a breath. "I wasn't going to wake you up at four in the morning just to tell you we're looking into more security for the house here, and did you want to see if any of them would work for your facility during this crisis."

"No, that's understandable," Weir said, her tone moving more toward professional, cooler. "Did you want to handle this…incursion personally?"

"Oh." John glanced at Lorne. "Do you need or want me to? It sounds like you have that end well in hand."

"I'm coordinating with Stackhouse," Lorne said. "He's acting under my orders to get everything straightened out. I’m sure he'll be in first thing to go over things. I spoke with him before he headed home for the night. We'll just need to push our plans forward faster."

John nodded. "I'm fine with that if you are, Elizabeth. I'd like to focus on securing this house, and then making plans to go on the offensive."

"Whatever you think is best. It's your company."

John rolled his eyes. She was being passive aggressive, and it was starting to piss him off.

Lorne must have noticed something, because he shifted in his seat. "Was there anything else? Any other damage?"

After that, it was quick to wrap up, for which John was profoundly grateful.

They hung up and Lorne let out a big sigh. "Sorry. Stackhouse said she was acting weird, but I didn't think it was anything like this."

"So it's not just me? She's really acting weird?" John narrowed his eyes. "Would you say it's weird enough to suspect someone is threatening or bribing her?"

"No,” Lorne denied thoughtfully. “I just think she's not used to answering to anyone and all of this is a little out of her comfort zone."

"If she was used to dealing with terrorists and kidnappers, I'd be worried."

Lorne chuckled, but quickly sobered. "I'll move on getting the background checks done. By the time we're up in the morning I think your brother should have some info on the construction companies for us."

"Good. The sooner we can get that work done, the better. I don't doubt this is a temporary reprieve. Genii isn't stupid. They'll find a way to track us down. And I'd like to be ready for them when that happens."

"Agreed. It's just a matter of time."

"Only this time, instead of running, I'd like to show them what happens when you piss off the wrong people."

"I'd like that a lot." Lorne sighed. "Why don't you head up to bed? I can finish up with the security checks for Atlantis."

"If you don't mind. What's the watch duty roster look like?"

"When I head to bed, Cadman's up. I'll relieve her in the morning."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'm not in there?"

"Not tonight, no."

"Why not?"

Lorne shrugged, not looking at him as he stood. "Figured you wanted a little time to yourself."

John snorted. "I don’t want you or Cadman to wear yourselves out. If you need a third to take a shift, tell me."

"We'll be fine tonight."

"All right. Just feel free to knock on the door if that changes."

"I will not be approaching your door tonight unless the house is falling down. Trust me."

John rolled his eyes, but gave the other man a tired grin. He wasn't going to push it, since it was what he wanted, for tonight at least, anyway. "Goodnight then."

"Try not to keep the rest of the house awake," Lorne said and John could hear the laughter in his voice.

John casually flicked him off as he headed upstairs. He just hoped Rodney was done with the brain trust call too, so they could pick up where they had left off earlier.

The house was quiet as he made his way up to the master bedroom and when he opened the door, he heard could hear Rodney talking still. Apparently it wasn't too bad if he wasn't up in arms and yelling at the top of his lungs.

John slipped in, making sure he made enough noise to let the other man know he was there. He wrapped his arms around Rodney from behind and tucked his nose into the curve of his neck.

"Yeah, Radek. That should be good for now. There's nothing much more you can do," Rodney said quietly. He listened for another few seconds before nodding. "Yeah. I know, but that's up to Elizabeth and Sheppard."

John inhaled the scent of Rodney's skin, loving the way he smelled a little like coffee and chocolate and pure male.

"I know, Radek. But it's not my decision anymore," Rodney said quietly. "I need to go. Let Sheppard know if you have any issues."

John huffed into Rodney, but lifted his head. "We have plans in motion for security. We're going to up the timetable for everything, and be thorough, but as fast as we can."

Rodney glanced toward John, but didn't say anything about his comment. "Radek," he said into the phone, "you need to discuss it with Sheppard and his people. He's the boss now."

"Tell him to call Lorne if it's a security problem. I've put him in charge of that."

"Yes, right, he heard that. Get some rest, Radek. You're going to need it." After a few more minutes, Rodney ended the call, letting his hand cradling the phone drop down to his side. He met John's eyes in the reflection from the window.

John rested his head on Rodney's shoulder, so he could look at him. "Any new problems, or is he still working on the break in from earlier?"

"Still working through the near breech. I suggested some upgrades—which we should have done months ago—but he'll need to get them approved before we can make the equipment and software purchases."

"Whatever the two of you think you need, you can have," John told his lover.

"He and Miko will do the due diligence first and then make their suggestions. The department's really in their hands at this point."

"Okay." John nuzzled him a little again. "Any chance of recapturing the mood, or are we just going to sleep?"

"I honestly don't know how much 'in the mood' I'm going to be."

"Yeah, I figured." John kissed his neck, and then straightened. "So let's go get some rest and see what tomorrow brings."

"More problems, most likely." Rodney snorted. "Seems like all there is these days."

"Not all, but it has been a rather... eventful last few weeks."

"You could say that again."

Taking Rodney's hand, John led him to the bed. "Come on, let's worry about the next problem when it crops up, and enjoy the time we have right now."

Rodney grimaced. "Right. I'm sure the next problem is right around the corner and it's probably in the shape of my sister."

John paused in unbuttoning his shirt, as he had started stripping for sleep. "You have to know if your sister keeps at you, I'll probably lose my temper with her. She's walking a fine line as it is, and only the fact that I know she's afraid and this is how she's dealing with it is keeping me in check so far. I won't tolerate anyone, not even your sister, taking out their anger and fear on you. None of this is your fault."

"Of course it's my fault,” Rodney disagreed. “I'm the one who ran there and got them involved. If it wasn't for me they wouldn't know about my sister."

John argued. "You had no way to know they would continue to pursue you. We all thought it was over."

Rodney leaned into John, his forehead resting against John's shoulder. "It'll be over when I agree to work for them or I'm dead."

"Or when we take them out. That's the plan Lorne and I are working on. We're going to rapidly beef up security here, and then go on the offensive. I'm tired of playing Genii's game. It's time to smack them down like the bugs they are."

"I don't know if it's worth it anymore."

"You're worth it."

Rodney sighed. "It's not worth this."

John wrapped his arms around the other man, pulling him close. "Yes, it is. You are. No one gets the right to do this. And it's not just about you anymore. If you just gave up, that would signal we aren't willing to fight, and more scientists, Radek, Miko, others, would all be in danger of being the next target. This ends here. They don't get to hurt and terrorize anyone else, ever again."

Rodney let himself be held and comforted—which was a step in the right direction. A pounding on the door and the shrill sound of one Jeannie Miller, though, interrupted the peace.

John let out a sigh. He pressed a kiss into Rodney's hair. "Go get changed for bed, and let me deal with your sister tonight, okay?"

"I just…" he said looking up at John, his blue eyes wide. John could see the exhaustion, see that this man was very close to the edge and John had every intention of keeping him firmly planted on the ground right next to him.

"I know. But right now, you have enough on your plate. Please, Rodney, let me deal with her, for tonight at least. Tomorrow, when you're more rested, and everything isn't so close, you can talk to her."

He nodded and released his hold on John, moving quietly to the en-suite bathroom. John waited for the bathroom door to close before heading to answer Jeannie's pounding knocks.

He opened the door, and used his body to force her to step back, closing the door firmly behind him, and then leaning against it for good measure. He crossed his arms, and gave her a flat stare.

She gave as good as she got, glaring right back at him. "I want to talk to my brother."

"No."

"No? Well, you're not my brother's keeper and I have every right to talk to him. Move out of the way."

"Your brother doesn't need a keeper, but I am his lover and his security chief. He is exhausted and run down to a thread, and, frankly, I don't trust you not to break him." John let his gaze harden. "I get that you're scared and none of this was your idea, but it wasn't his either, and I will not allow you to make him a scapegoat for your anger. Be angry at the Genii, be frustrated with the situation, but fuck with him and I will toss you and your family out and let you deal with the fallout alone. I am protecting you because he cares about you, but you mean absolutely nothing to me."

"You can't talk to me like that," she snapped.

"What gives you the impression I can't? I own this house, I employ all the people who work here, and I not only own the weapons we're all carrying, I'm a former Special Ops Air Force Major who very much knows how to use them. You are hurting Rodney, and, frankly, anything or anyone who tried to hurt him again will find me in their way. He's not anyone's punching bag anymore."

She took a step back, a look of surprise quickly replacing the anger that had been on her face before. "I'm not going to hurt him. He's my brother."

"You already have hurt him, and when you started banging on our door, screaming for him just now, I watched him go from at least starting to relax enough to admit he was exhausted, to tense and unhappy and afraid. He didn't even argue with me when I told him I'd come out and deal with you. He is so run down and hurt, that he can't take anymore without breaking. I will not allow you to be the final straw. He's almost ready to turn himself into Genii, to let them fucking kill him, because he doesn't think he's worth any of us spending any time protecting him. I will not allow you to reinforce that belief because he's a convenient target for you."

"He's…what?" She blinked a few times, his words finally registering. She lifted her head, angling her chin up in a gesture so familiar it hurt to see it on her. "Well, it is his fault that we're in this mess, but as he's so often told us, his brain is priceless, so we can't just…hand him over to the Genii. Who knows what they'd be able to do if he was working for them. I just don't think it's appropriate for him to be starting any kind of…relationship with someone…at a time like this. It's foolish to think anything formed in a situation like this will last. I’m trying to protect him from himself."

"It's not his fault anyone is in this, and that, right there, is the reason I won't allow you to see him. You want to blame him, and it's taking every ounce of persuasion I have to even get him to admit that it could, possibly, not be his fault. He didn't ask to be targeted by a para-military group who think guns and killing people who don't cooperate are acceptable recruiting procedures. And as for you being here, it's more my fault than his—I told him it was over because I thought it was. I never dreamed they'd continue to escalate things to this level."

John paused, narrowing his eyes at her. "And if you try to convince him not to date me, then I will consider it personal, and not just you being a bitch because you're afraid and that's how it comes out. If you try to come between us, you'll find out just how big of an asshole I can be to anyone who comes between me and the people I love."

Jeannie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "And that's your final say."

He glared right back. "I will protect him as much and for as long as he will let me, including from you if necessary. You hurt him every time you open your mouth, and it ends now."

"Fine, but don't think this conversation is finished," she said, turning to walk away. "You don't know him like I do and I have every right to protect him from himself—especially from assholes like you."

"I'm not the asshole pounding on his door at midnight demanding he have a fight with you when he's two steps away from breaking in half with the strain he's already under. Instead of just assuming you already know everything, why don't you try opening your fucking eyes and paying attention to what's in front of you for once. You haven't protected him from anything—himself included—in years. You've only made the problem of his low self esteem and near self-hatred worse."

"Oh, he didn't need my help with that," she said, turning back to him. "He had that perfected from an early age. Him and his genius complex."

"And yet, instead of trying to bolster it, you feed on it and give him even more ammunition to use on himself." John shook his head, suddenly exhausted, with the situation, with her. He leaned his head back against the door and closed his eyes. "If he chooses to leave me when this is all over, I'd let him go. It would hurt like someone was ripping out my heart, but I'd do it if he asked. But at the same time, when and if that time comes, I will do my damned best to make sure he knows that he is an amazing person, worthy of love and protection because of himself, and not because of how much money he can make someone, or for what he knows. For him. For his blue eyes, and the way he waves his hands around when he gets irritated, and the way he curls into my arms when he sleeps. I will make sure, if he chooses to leave, that he leaves in a better place than when I got him. That's more than I can say for you. When he leaves your house, has he ever left looking more relaxed and at ease than when he came, looking for a retreat from the pain of life for even a few days? Or did he leave even more beat down than when he arrived, fighting a different war, but still fighting for his right to be a human being with all the faults and mistakes that the rest of us are prone to."

"You don't know anything about him or our family,” Jeannie ground out. “I know him. I know who he is and what he is. And I don't have to stand here and listen to this, either." She turned again, this time stomping down the hall and fled down the stairs, leaving John alone.

John sighed. He could only hope that once she stopped calling him an asshole under her breath, she'd actually think about what he had said. But he wasn't holding out much hope. God, he was so tired of everyone. He wondered if he could get away with staying in bed with Rodney all day tomorrow. Slowly, he pushed away from the door and went back inside.

The room was the same as when he'd left, the door to the bathroom still closed.

John went looking for Rodney.

He knocked quietly on the door to the bathroom and when he didn't hear anything after a long minute he tried the handle, pushing it open easily. Rodney was there, head in his hands, elbows on his knees as he sat on the closed lid of the toilet.

John went to him, going to his knees next to the other man. "Rodney?"

He lifted his head and John was happy to see Rodney's eyes were dry, but the exhaustion and resignation were clear to see. "You still have all your limbs?" he asked quietly, even as his hands reached out for John.

"Your sister isn't much of a threat. I've gone toe to toe with worse." John let Rodney pull him in, wrapped his arms around the other man. "I pissed her off though. I'm sorry for that, but I'm tired of her hurting you."

"She's always pissed off about something."

"Yeah, well, she doesn't get to take it out on you anymore." John leaned back enough to catch Rodney's chin gently with his hand, running his thumb against the grain of incoming beard. "I will protect you from anyone and anything that tries to hurt you, for as long as you'll let me."

Rodney leaned forward, pressing his lips to John's as his fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his neck, tugging him closer.

John went with it, kissing Rodney softly, gently. But Rodney was greedy, demanding, desperate even. 

John opened up, letting him set the pace, moaning a little at the heat of the kiss.

Rodney continued on, not letting up, funneling his anger and his fear into the kisses. He nipped at John's lower lip, even breaking the skin a little. His hands when they weren't tugging at his hair started roaming, trying to shove their way down John's skin, the fabric of his shirt becoming a casualty. 

John went with it, sliding his own hands under Rodney's shirt, shoving it out of the way so he could play with the perky nipples he found there.

"Offoffoff," Rodney chanted when he leaned back to take a breath, his hands trying—and failing—to get the rest of John's shirt off.

John sat back, stripping off his shirt in one movement. Getting to his feet, he pulled Rodney with him. "Bed, now."

They managed to make it to the bed—but only just—as Rodney shoved him down on top of the blankets, only to crawl on top of him and start kissing again.

John moaned, pressing up into Rodney's body. He tried to say pants, but it was swept away into Rodney's mouth.

Rodney was demanding and rough, but John knew it was because his emotions were fueling the release. He groaned as Rodney ground his hips against John's, their cocks rubbing against each other through the fabric of their pants.

Moaning, John tried to get more friction where he needed it, hands sliding down Rodney's back, pulling him closer, while he wrapped his legs around Rodney's waist.

Rodney gripped his shoulders, fingertips digging in and scraping along the skin. He shifted against John and moaned into his mouth. His tongue followed soon after, chasing after John's.

John gave him everything. He knew Rodney needed this, needed to be in charge for something, for a little while, and John was willing to follow.

But even as Rodney was sucking his tonsils out and digging into his back with his fingers, John hoped and prayed that he'd locked the bedroom door behind him and that Jeannie wouldn't come back tonight for round two. If that happened now…

He decided to not worry about it in favor of moaning as Rodney hit all his hot spots.

Rodney shifted in John's arms, his movements becoming regular as he started to rub himself off against John's thigh.

John matched his pace, pushing up, getting the friction in just the right place to have him panting and begging.

Rodney let out a long moan before burying his face in John's shoulder, his entire body tensing for one long moment before he shuddered and John felt the wet warmth of cum against this leg.

Whimpering a little, John tried to work a hand between them, into his own pants. But Rodney was a dead weight on top of him, his body still twitching from his climax.

Moaning a little in frustration, John bucked a little, trying to get him to move enough so he could at least jerk himself off. "Please, I need..."

Rodney finally got the hint and rolled to the side. His hands, though, were uncoordinated as he tried to help John free himself managing to make it harder for John to get off.

John finally got the buttons popped, and shoved his pants and boxers down just far enough to free his aching cock. Wrapping a hand around it, he started to jerk himself off. It didn't take long—especially because he knew Rodney was watching him.

He came hard, striping his own chest with it, his head tilted so he could watch Rodney watching him.

Rodney eyes were half-lidded, the desperation long gone from his body replaced instead by a sated calm. He offered John a small smile.

John gave him a sloppy grin in return. "That was seriously hot."

"We're a mess."

"Mmmm. Gimme a minute, then we can go take a shower."

"Don’t wanna get up."

"Me neither."

"Mmm…okay," Rodney said, his eyes falling shut—even as he ignored the mess that was drying in his pants.

John chuckled to himself, forcing his body to move as he sat up. He shimmied out of his pants, and used his boxers to wipe the worst of the mess off his chest before manhandling Rodney and stripping his pants and boxers off as well. He was amused that Rodney didn't even budge. Padding into the bathroom, John wiped himself down and brought the washcloth back out, giving Rodney a quick wipe before tossing it on the floor and curling up against the other man.

Rodney shivered. "Cold now," he grumbled, vaguely reaching for the blankets without opening his eyes.

John moved enough to let Rodney cover them, then reclaimed his warm spot and promptly fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few days were blissfully uneventful. The repairs at Atlantis Corp. went off without a hitch and Radek got the equipment and software they needed. The safe room downstairs in the basement was proceeding well, the crews working hard to get it done as quickly as possible. Jeannie and Rodney weren't talking yet, but had settled into a waiting pattern. At least they weren't yelling at each other anymore either.

John wasn't stupid enough to let his guard down completely, but he was enjoying at least a little time to recover from all the twists. He was sitting on the porch working on a laptop one afternoon, trying to plow through all the shit Kyle had handled for him. He ran a hand through his hair. He was going to have to get a new assistant eventually. He hated paperwork.

"Sir," Lorne said, walking out onto the deck. "We have a problem."

"I knew the quiet was too good to last." John sighed, setting aside the laptop. "What's wrong now?"

"There were attempts on four scientists at Atlantis Corp this morning."

"Attempts?"

Lorne sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "A car bomb blew up David Parrish's car around four this morning, Eastern time. Miko was attacked leaving her apartment. An attempted kidnapping it seems. They didn't expect her to know martial arts. Another bomb was found attached to Radek's car at his home…just before he went to get in it. Security had been warned because of the incident with Parrish and they managed to catch it before he could get injured. Dumais was not so lucky."

"Fuck." John put his head in his hands. "What happened to Dumais?"

"Apparently it was a 'kidnap the girls plan" that didn't go so well. She fought back and got quite the beating. She screamed loud enough to alert the neighbors, but not before she was injured pretty badly. She's in the hospital in critical condition."

John hated fucking Genii. "All right, so Genii is starting to make their move. What's our plan?"

"I've upped security at Atlantis and encouraged the crew to finish as quickly as they can. It wouldn't surprise me if they'll try again. They're probably trying to find out where we holed up. I've also alerted your brother to increase security there for him and his family."

"Good, thank you." John stood up and started pacing. "What have we managed to learn about them in the meantime? I know Radek and Miko have been hacking like crazy trying to compile as much as we can on both Genii as a company and the people running it."

"Not much, unfortunately."

"Damn."

"I know. I think that might have been part of the problem. They were getting closer."

John ran a hand through his hair again. "Step up security on everyone, and anyone who's willing to stay in a safe house, do it, with as many guards as we can pull. Have Radek and Miko redouble their efforts, and I want bodyguards on them both until this is over. We need to know where their main bases of operation all are, and the names and locations of everyone running the operation, or we won't be able to take the next step."

"Already done, on the security. I'll tell them to keep working."

"Good. I think you're right, that Genii is moving before they're ready, and this is more targets of opportunity than anything planned. We're getting close to information they don't want us to have, which makes me want it even more."

"Agreed,” Lorne said with a nod. “I think they know we're planning something so they're trying to distract us and also see if someone will leak our information. I've told Elizabeth to make sure any conversations she has with me are on secure lines. The last thing we need is for the Genii to track us via our cell phones."

"Is she being any less weird?" John asked hopefully.

Lorne made a face. "About the same level of weirdness, actually."

"And you're still sure it's just stress, and not that she's been compromised?"

"Honestly, I don't know, and I hate admitting that. I’m not there and Stackhouse doesn't know her as well as I do."

John sighed. "Then take whatever steps you feel are necessary, including lying to her if you're concerned she's leaking information, willingly or not."

"She knows where we are already. The damage is done."

"But she doesn't know all our plans. We can't change what she may or may not have already told someone. She doesn't strike me as the type to do something like that willingly, so if you have anyone to spare, have them do some discreet checking to see if Genii has anything—or anyone—they can hold against her."

Lorne nodded. "I'll ask Miko to look into it. She'll be discreet."

"That's all we can do." John shook his head, looking out over the ocean. It was deceptively peaceful. "How's the safe room coming? Will it be done by the end of the week like we were pushing for?"

"I'm trying to convince the crew they can get done earlier. A bonus of a few thousand is helping."

"Perfect. The faster we get that done, the happier I'll be. At least it gives us a bit more breathing room."

"I figured you wouldn't mind offering up a little more of your money," Lorne smirked. "Cadman and Beckett went out with the Millers again today. They'll be back for dinner. I've asked Cadman to keep an eye on things while they're out to see if anything is out of place. She's been out there more than I have, so she'd notice."

"Good." John made a face. "Anything that gets Jeannie Miller out of here for a while is a plan I approve of. She's not a bad woman, but if I have to spend much more time with her, I'll probably do or say something I'll regret later."

"She seems to be better as of late…apart from the death glares she keeps sending you and her brother. You have something to do with that?"

"Probably because the other night, she came to our room demanding to see Rodney at midnight—it was the night Atlantis had the break in—and I went out and refused her entry and told her to stop blaming her brother for every problem in the world, and that if she hurts him again, she'll find out what kind of enemy I am. I also think I called her a bitch."

Lorne chuckled. "Yeah, that accounts for the looks. It's not easy for them. They've been uprooted from their jobs, their friends… I know Caleb is worried about things, but he doesn't say too much."

John sighed. "I know, and that's why I'm trying to stay out of her way, unless she gets in my face like she did the other night. I get that it's at least partly out of worry and fear, but I'm not going to allow her to take that out on McKay anymore. He's not her personal punching bag."

"News to her, I imagine." Lorne sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm going to double-check the security measures back in Maine in about an hour. Anything else you need me to do here?"

"No, it sounds like everything is in hand. Once we have the information on Genii, though, I'll want to move fast before they can slip away again. We'll need to organize who's going where."

"We can do that later tonight if you want."

"Yeah, I want to have the plan in place so when we get the green light, we can be ready."

"Sounds good," he said, frowning as his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and scowled at the screen before clicking it on. "This is Lorne. What's up Stackhouse?"

John looked out over the water again. He had a feeling whatever this call was about, it was probably going to piss him off, so he tried to find his calm.

Lorne moved off to the far side of the deck to talk that only let John catch bits and pieces of the conversation as the wind ebbed and flowed around him.

He was ready for this all to be over. Keeping this kind of vigilance, over this many people, in several locations, was starting to wear on him.

Apparently he really didn't anticipate what would happen when he took over the company. He glanced up as Lorne wandered back over, pulling out a chair and settling down. "You want the good news or the bad news?"

"Surprise me." John sat in a chair across from him.

"Good news, then. Miko managed to get into the Genii systems late last night and the final pull of all their information just finished up. Give her a few hours to go through it all and she'll have names and locations of whatever we need to know."

"That is good news. We need to make sure we're ready to move when she has the information."

"The bad news is that her entry into their systems was noticed…hence the issues we had this morning. Radek doesn't think they were able to backtrack her link and get into our systems. He's still working to verify this, however."

"Great. So odds are good they know we know, and they're probably already trying to move."

"And we had a few no-shows this morning as well…which is the bigger concern."

"Do you have people looking for them?"

"We looked already. It seems like two low-level scientists have packed up and left. Everything's neat and orderly, but their affairs are all neatly buttoned up for the next three months."

"So we had plants?"

"Two, it looks like, yes. And there's one other issue."

"There always is." John waved a hand for him to continue, resisting the urge to sigh again.

Lorne shifted uneasily in his seat. "Okay, two issues. First, it looks like Elizabeth's finance, Simon, has some ties with Genii Corp. They're buried and older connections, but…" Lorne frowned. "Also it seems that about three months ago Rodney was regularly conversing with Ladon Radim, a high level Genii Corp. scientist."

Rubbing at his eyes, John nodded. "Follow up on Simon, and find out how deep those ties are, and whether or not they could be used against Elizabeth. I'll go talk to Rodney and see what he can tell me about Radim."

"Isn't that the same one who was in contact with your assistant Kyle?"

"Yes." John closed his eyes. "Seems he got around."

"Do you want me to talk to McKay?"

"No, I'll do it." John stood up.

"Are you sure?" Lorne looked a little pinched as he tilted his head up toward John. 

"No, I need to anyway."

"Okay. I'll call Stackhouse back and tell him we're handling some of this on our end and have him dig deeper into Simon."

"Thank you." John took a deep breath and went looking for Rodney.

Thankfully he wasn't up in the bedroom—John wanted to try and keep that part out of this whole discussion. He was in the small office just off the kitchen. He'd commandeered it not long after they'd arrived and usually spent time working in there during the day.

Closing the door behind him, John turned the lock so they wouldn't be disturbed. "Rodney?"

"Yes yes," he said, holding up a finger to John to wait, as he continued typing with his left hand. 

John waited, pulling up a chair. He sighed softly.

It only took Rodney a few minutes to finish up whatever he was working on and turned to John, the smile on his face quickly vanishing when he caught sight of John's expression. "What? What is it?"

"Ladon Radim."

Rodney's expressive face shut down a little at those two words and John knew—he knew!—that Rodney had talked to the man. "Who's that?" Rodney asked instead, shifting in his chair.

"Please don't lie to me," John rubbed at his temple. "I need to know what you told him, when, and why."

"Why do you think I'm lying to you? I asked you a perfectly reasonable question about—"

"Rodney." John cut him off. "We already know you talked to him. We have records of it, so just... just stop. Please."

The scientist opened and closed his mouth two times before slumping into his seat. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. John waited him out because one thing was absolutely certain, Rodney McKay didn't like uncomfortable silences and this was a hell of an uncomfortable silence.

"It was months ago."

"Tell me everything, including why you tried to hide it."

"It was months ago," he said, lifting his head, his eyes flashing. "I met him at a conference but he didn't say he was working for Genii. He was working for some other company, or so he told me."

"Okay."

"He wasn't completely dumb. We talked, oaky. There's nothing wrong with talking."

John didn't say anything, just motioning for him to keep going.

After a minute, Rodney sighed. "I’m a genius, but I can't see when people are lying to me apparently. Yes, I talked to him. No, I don't remember if I told him anything I shouldn't have. I don't think so—I'm not stupid—but in the spur of the moment when you get into a conversation…"

John could finish that sentence, because he'd seen Rodney go off on a subject when he was interested in it. He knew that Rodney could have spouted off something he shouldn't have without realizing it when his mouth got ahead of his brain.

"Okay, I get all of that. But what I don't get is why hide it, especially after all this shit started. People have gotten hurt, Rodney, and not just you. Genii planted two car bombs—one put Dumais in the hospital, and the other, meant for Radek, was barely caught before he got in his car. Miko was attacked outside her house, and only the fact that she's a fucking ninja kept her from getting grabbed." John had to take a deep breath, force his temper down because screaming would just shut Rodney down, and wouldn't help anyone or anything. "Just... why?"

"I didn't know! I didn't know who he worked for until I was kidnapped and then I didn't want to admit how much of an idiot I was to fall for some lame…" He took a breath. "I haven't spoken to him in months. You can see that yourself."

John stood up and paced to the window, looking out. "I know. What had me pissed off isn't that it happened. We all fall for the wrong person sometimes. We all make mistakes. It's that, after we got you back, you didn't give us everything you knew. That after Kyle.... you still didn't say anything. That we had to find out from a set of records hacked from their database. Maybe it's nothing more than that he was feeling you out as a target at the time, but it doesn't change that you withheld information, Rodney. And I now, for the first time, it makes me wonder if there's anything else you haven't told us, and I fucking hate that I have to think that way."

"I know," Rodney said miserably. "I…ask me whatever you want. I'll answer any questions you have and have Radek and Miko check out my answers. Hell, you might as well just put them on the phone so they can verify everything as you go."

John leaned his forehead against the glass, closing his eyes. "Just... what else do you know? We're hoping to raid their locations today, Rodney. So if you have information that will help keep people alive when we do it, and help us put an end to this, I need it now. No more trying to hide things."

"I don't know what I know. I know lots of things about lots of subjects. Believe me when I say that I didn't know he worked for Genii."

"At the time. But you've known for a while now and didn't share with the class."

Rodney sighed and was silent for a long moment. "If you're going to do this, make sure you have whoever you need on the phone or here so I don't have to go through this more than once."

"I'm not going to have someone else verify everything you say, Rodney. But if you want to go that route, you can set it up with Lorne. I'm not happy that you lied to us, but I'm going to assume you realize how incredibly stupid and dangerous that was, and you're not going to do it anymore."

Rodney stood and shuffled around, pushing his chair under the desk. "Then I should probably go talk to Lorne."

"Fine." John headed for the door, unlocking it and waving to Lorne as he went past. "Set up a meeting with McKay. I'm going for a walk."

"Sir?" Lorne asked even as John shoved his way thought he sliding glass doors and onto the deck.

He didn't stop, just kept going. He needed to get away from anyone before he lost his temper, and it was hanging on by a thread.

He didn't pay attention to how long he walked but by the time he finally managed to get his temper to cool off and head back to the house, his stomach was gnawing a hole in his torso and the Millers were back from their daily jaunt.

He knew that it wouldn't take much to set him off again, so he detoured to the kitchen to grab a sandwich someone had made out of the fridge and then headed for the bedroom. He needed a shower, badly.

The room was quiet and deserted when he arrived and he was thankful. He needed the time to decompress because from the look Lorne had given him, his peace and quiet was going to be short lived.

John took his time in the shower, letting the hot water pound on his stiff muscles for as long as he thought he could get away with. He wasn't ready to go be the one in charge again, to make decisions, but he knew he didn't have a choice, so he pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed back downstairs, not bothering with a shirt or even socks. If he was going to get bad news, he was damn well going to be comfortable.

Lorne was waiting for him in the kitchen, cleaning up a few odds and ends from dinner. Everyone, save McKay it seemed, was outside on the deck enjoying the evening weather. "Sir," Lorne said quietly as soon as John approached. "Want anything else to eat or drink?"

John shook his head. He wasn't sure anything else would stay down. As it was, anxiety had the sandwich threatening to come back up.

"I'd suggest we adjourn to the study, but I've asked McKay to stay in that room for now. There's an attached bath, so…" Lorne sighed quietly. "Did you want to do this in your bedroom or in mine? I don't know how much of this you want to be common knowledge."

"Wherever is fine." John motioned for Lorne to lead on.

Lorne nodded and headed to his own bedroom, closing the door behind John when he entered. "Bottom-line…McKay is an ass who was too worried about his damn pride and ego to volunteer the information he had, which wasn't much."

John sighed. "That's pretty much what he told me earlier. Any other new information?"

"I brought Miko and Radek into the conversation and Miko was able to verify everything McKay told us. A few points of good news: he's had no recent contact with Genii at any level. Three months ago was the last time he spoke with Ladon and it was to tell him he was a moron because some of his theories were, and I quote 'so bad and wrong' that Ladon was going to set the scientific community back thousands of years if he proceeded on that line of reasoning. Granted, the topic did skirt close to some of the classified projects Atlantis was working on, but he didn't outright divulge any confidential information—at least not in writing. And Genii's own R&D department has not shown a high uptick in innovation so it means that McKay probably didn't tell him something during a more…one-on-one discussion."

"So he probably let it slip that he knows a lot about things he can't talk about—which is very McKay—and Radim took that information back to his superiors, who decided that if seduction didn't get them the information they were looking for, maybe torture and kidnapping would?"

"That seems to be the case, yes," Lorne said with a nod. "It's around the time McKay stopped conversing with him that interest in McKay increased at Genii. A lot of the information they have about him in their systems—that we could find—started to be compiled in earnest around that time."

John sighed. "All right, so we're still in the same boat we were in before. Any updates from Miko on locations and targets?"

"Well, we were able to confirm two locations as prime Genii locations. Rodney remembered two vaguely and Miko confirmed they were indeed Genii facilities."

"All right, what's the plan then? I assume we're too far away to be directly involved in the raids?"

"Correct, and raids will happen within the next twelve hours on those two locations we've pinpointed." Lorne shifted on his feet. "And McKay also let us know what the Genii wanted from him. It seems that they're very interested in two of our top secret projects that involve wormholes and vacuum point energy—two things McKay was intimately involved with."

"Fantastic." John scrubbed at his still-damp hair. "Any reason McKay is under house arrest then? Or is it just because you're irritated with him?"

"We're still verifying some other information he gave us, so until that time I thought it best for him to stay in the study." Lorne flushed a little and offered a tired half-smile. "I may have also had Beckett implant McKay with a tracking device, too. It was either that or set up an invisible fence on the house and put a shock collar on him. It was a close decision."

John paused. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. If they do manage to get past all of us again, it at least makes it easier to find him again. A shock collar probably wouldn't have been a good move. He could have disabled anything you tried to use anyway." John shook his head. "I think he's more embarrassed than anything else, so I doubt he's a security threat, especially since they're trying to kidnap or kill him. That sort of thing does tend to damper any desire to go play with the enemy. Not that they were the enemy when he was talking to them."

"That's what I was thinking, but after everything the shock collar was very tempting."

John chuckled softly. "I know. But despite everything, he is still the victim here. Sleeping with someone and bragging about his genius brain isn't a crime. It's not his fault he got duped by the wrong person. Irritating, yes, but it just proves he's as human as the rest of us."

"For what it's worth he was very forthcoming with information and answered anything and everything we asked." Lorne smirked at him. "I was honestly surprised to find out you hadn't fucked him yet."

John felt the flush down his chest. "Christ. How did that even come up?" He shook his head. "No, never mind. I don't want to know. Go spring him from scientist jail. He's not going to run or anything. And put everyone on high alert. If Genii has even an idea of where we are, the next twelve to twenty-four hours will be when they'll make their move."

"He told me to ask him anything," Lorne said with a shrug and a smile. "I've already alerted Cadman about the possibility. The crews will be done with the safe room tomorrow around noon—and expecting their bonus."

John rolled his eyes. "Good, we'll want to be ready. And honestly, I'm exhausted. Tell McKay I went to bed when you let him out of the study. If we do get a visit tomorrow, I want to be rested."

"Of course, sir," Lorne said as he let himself out of the bedroom heading for the kitchen and its attached study. 

John headed back up to his own bedroom, walking over to the window to look out at the ocean again. It was soothing, and he needed a little of that before he laid down. As tired as he was, his brain was too keyed up, still, to fall right to sleep.

He ended up standing at the window for a while before finally stripping and settling down in bed.

He wondered if Rodney was avoiding him, or if the other man would come to bed. Sighing, he knew that if he was, right now, John just wasn't up to tracking him down and soothing his hurt feelings. He had his own hurt feelings to deal with. Closing his eyes, he let sleep claim him.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, John woke early, but the bed next to him was empty and cold. Rodney had not returned to their room last night.

John rolled out of bed, and pulled on real clothes, padding down to the kitchen. He resented the fact that it was, apparently, always his job to soothe and reassure. Damn it, he was the one who was lied to, not McKay. He shouldn't have to be the one to find him and apologize.

The coffee was already on when he got down to the kitchen and a mug-full was missing. The door to the study, though, was closed. 

Shaking his head, John got his own coffee and went out onto the deck, where he tended to work. He grabbed his laptop along the way, and fired it up, determined to get something, at least, done. His father was already after him for paperwork that John didn't even know what it was for. Another thing Kyle had always done. Damn it, he really needed a new assistant.

He ended up working for about an hour until he heard the sliding glass door open. He glanced up to spot Carson Beckett hovering, a mug of coffee in his hand.

John gave him a half-wave, sitting back from the computer and wincing at the pop in his neck. "Morning Doc."

"John," he said as he settled into one of the chairs at the table. "You're up early."

John shrugged. "I usually am. When I'm not in the middle of a crisis of some sort, I normally go running around the time the sun is coming up. It's a quiet time of day."

"Ah, that it is," he said, sipping at his coffee. "It was a busy day yesterday, aye?"

"This afternoon, and possibly tomorrow, may well be busier. If we're going to get unexpected guests, that will be when they're most likely to show up."

"Aye, Cadman made some mention of it last night."

John let the silence lapse. If Beckett wanted something, he'd get around to it eventually. The doctor, though, seemed to be quite content with sipping on his coffee and watching the world go by.

After a little time, John went back to work on the laptop, letting the rows of numbers and figures consume and distract him. He'd always liked this part of the job.

More people eventually wandered outside and John heard the construction crew arrive at some point as well. At some point, Cadman appeared at his side with the coffee pot. "Need me to top you off?"

Nodding absently, John held out his mug. Sipping on it again. When he finally emerged completely from the numbers, he realized it was after noon. He got up, stretching, to go find Lorne and find out if the safe room was done.

Cadman, though, was waiting for him when he walked inside. "Sir, I have a plate for you."

He blinked. "Right. Food." He didn't even realize he was hungry until he started on it.

"I have more if you want," she said with a smirk as she turned back to what she was doing—a crossword puzzle by the look of it.

"This should be fine. Can you point me toward Lorne though?"

"He was going over everything with the crew chief downstairs. But don't think about heading down there until you clean your plate."

John paused in mid-bite, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"I know you heard me. You'll need your strength tonight if we have guests. Eat."

Giving her a dirty look, he took another bite. "I haven't had someone telling me to clear my plate since I was about five years old."

"Then apparently you don't know the right people."

He snorted, but did clear his plate. Holding it up, he gave her a look. "Can I go play with the other kids now mom?"

"Only if you're not still hungry."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, but thank you." Dumping the plate in the sink, he headed for the stairs.

He was pleasantly surprised to see the crews in the basement putting the final touches in place. Lorne was talking quietly with the crew chief, the blueprints in his hand. John was also surprised to see a rack of clothes down here as well as one of the secure laptops.

He waited until Lorne noticed him, and was done speaking to the chief to wander over. "We're on track to finish today?"

He nodded. "Just a few last minute things. Outlet covers, little painting. We should be good to go."

"Perfect. You have the cash from Dave for the bonuses?"

"He'll wire it into their accounts when I give him the okay."

Nodding, John looked around again. "What's with the clothes?"

"I wanted to have some clothes down here for the Millers, Beckett, and McKay since they're the ones who will end up in here when things go south. It might take a while your brother to send backup if we have issues and we want them to have some things close at hand."

"True. Good thinking."

"I have my moments, sir," Lorne grinned. "The crew should be out of here within the hour."

Laughing softly, John headed back upstairs, content everything was well in hand.

Cadman was outside with Beckett and the Millers, laughing about something. As he watched, Madison said something and then took off running down the sand toward the water, Cadman following behind.

He smiled a little, wishing he could keep things this way—with people happy. Hopefully, if their offensive paid off, this would soon be over.

John sighed to himself and headed for the study. He resented the hell out of it, but he knew Rodney would just avoid him if he didn't go searching for the other man.

He knocked twice before opening the door and entering the room. Rodney was there, sitting on the coach a science journal and pen in his hands. His computer was gone, along with the phone. Lorne had been serious about the house arrest it seemed.

McKay looked up, surprise filtering across his face before he tapped it down to a blank look. "Sheppard," he said quietly. "What do you need?"

John rolled his eyes, coming in and pulling the door shut behind him. "I figured you wouldn't come looking for me, so I decided to take the offensive."

"I…um…Lorne was quite clear as to what I could and could not do," he said quietly. "Leaving this room for anything other than food was top on the list."

"Yeah, I already told him he was being stupid. I think he's more irritated with you than anything else."

"I said I'd do whatever you wanted and…" Rodney shrugged, letting the rest of the sentence drop off.

John knelt in front of him, taking the journal and putting it aside, to take Rodney's hands in his. "Am I upset and frustrated that you lied to us because you had some wounded pride? Yes. But that doesn't change the way I feel about you, and I'll get over it. Just promise me no more lies, okay?"

"I didn't mean to lie and I didn't really," Rodney said. "It was more an…omission of sorts." He shrugged again. "I didn't do it to deceive you or anything."

"I know. But it feels like you lied. I know you didn't see it that way, but..." John shook his head. "It doesn't really matter now. Just promise me no more letting pride make you hold back information. It really isn't much, but you never know what will turn out to be important, okay?"

"Yes, yes. Lorne already read me the riot act," Rodney said with a sigh. "So are you the one moving me downstairs until this is all over? I saw most of the work crew heading out before and most of the banging has stopped. I figure the room is finished and I'll be heading down there until this is all over."

"No. We won't force anyone to stay down there if it isn't necessary. Lorne moved clothes down there, and once all the finishing work is done and the crew is completely gone, we'll have a quick drill so everyone knows where to go and how to seal it if necessary."

"Oh. I just thought…" Rodney looked away.

"Do you want to stay down there?” John offered. “You can if you want, I won't force you to sleep somewhere you aren't comfortable."

"I thought that was where I'd be staying…especially after this. At least, that's what I understood. I'd rather not be shoved into a windowless box any sooner than I have to be but I understand if it's necessary especially since you don't trust me."

"I trust you, Rodney, or have you not actually been listening to anything I've been saying?"

"After yesterday I'm not sure of anything, really. Between Lorne and Jeannie…I know I screwed up and I'm sorry and I deserve to be handled however you think is best given the situation."

"Then stop trying to analyze everything and listen to me. I've been here telling you nothing has changed for the last ten minutes."

Rodney closed his eyes and took a few breaths. "Fine. Everything is perfectly fine. Great even. Fine."

John let out a frustrated breath and stood up. "I can't force you to believe me. I can't force you to even listen to me, apparently. If you want to stay in here and wallow in your guilt and unhappiness, I can't stop you."

"I'm not wallowing! I was instructed to not step foot out of this room unless I needed something to eat. If you're changing it, then fine. You're changing it. I'm just trying to make sure I understand what's expected of me now."

"Yes, you can leave this room. Lorne was irritated with you, but you aren't a security risk. Hell, we're doing all of this to keep you alive, I seriously doubt you're going to go run and call the bad guys and tell them where they can come kill you at."

"Well, I can't since he took my computer and phone, too. And it was…outlined to me what would happen if I did."

"I'll talk to Lorne and tell him to stop being an ass."

"I'd appreciate that."

"I don't really know what you want from me, Rodney. I'm turning my entire company upside down to keep you safe, spending a hell of a lot of my father's money to do it. I think I've been pretty clear that I've got some strong feelings for you, and I want the chance to explore them with you. So I don't know what else you're looking for from me, what kind of reassurance you want here. But when you figure it out, let me know, okay?" Without waiting for a response, John left the room.

The Millers were gone from the deck when he walked back out into the kitchen, but he could see them at the water's edge, splashing each other as Madison swam. Beckett had kicked back, his feet propped up on a nearby chair as he dead what looked like a dog-eared well-worn bodice-ripper romance book.

"I'm going for a run down the beach. I have my cell if anyone needs me, and I'm not going far."

Beckett glanced up. "You doing okay, lad?"

John took a deep breath. "Not really, but I don't want to lose my temper on anyone for no good reason."

"If you need a listening ear, I'm available," Carson offered, folding down the edge of the page in his book and putting it on the table. "It's been a busy few weeks."

"I'm just frustrated with McKay." John ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what more he wants from me, and I'm getting tired of trying to guess, of baring more of myself to him than I have to anyone else, ever, and having it all thrown back in my face.

"Aye, well, he's a bit off his game, too, from what I can tell. And after yesterday, I know he was very doubtful that there would be a you and him after everything settled down—which hurt him more than he even let on to me."

"And yet, when I seek him out, when I'm on my fucking knees trying to tell him nothing has changed, he basically throws it back in my face."

"Give him a little bit of time," Beckett advised. "He feels guilty and ashamed about what he didn't tell you and how you found out about it. And I know Lorne was mightily pissed at him yesterday, which probably compounded matters. He probably didn't say it to you, but from his perspective we were one step away from putting him in a dark hole and leaving him there. John, what did you tell Evan to do?"

"Just to get the information we needed from Rodney. But apparently I need to tell him to stop being an ass and to give Rodney back his stuff. As irritated as I am, we all know Rodney is the victim here, and while I'm pissed that he hid things from us, I'm not going to treat him like an enemy for it. I told Lorne that, but I guess he's still holding a grudge."

"Aye. Yesterday he was the enemy, which is probably the issue at hand." Beckett glanced over his shoulder. "Ah, and I see Rodney has come out of the study," he said and John caught a glimpse of Rodney as he headed for the stairs leading up the master bedroom.

John let out a breath of air. "I'll go tell Lorne to stop treating him like an enemy. In the meantime, the safe room is almost done. I'll want to have a drill so everyone knows how to get there and how to activate it, should we need it."

"Aye, I figured. Just tell us when."

John nodded. He shook his head. As much as he wanted to run out his frustration, he needed to talk to Lorne first. "I'll be back."

"Aye. I'm not going anywhere," Carson said picking up his romance novel. "Got a bit of reading to do."

John headed back down to find Lorne, and fortunately, it was a quick conversation. John wasn't up to more arguing right now.

Lorne apologized for being an asshole to McKay and admitted he'd probably gone a little over the top. He said he'd take care of it.

They did a quick drill, so everyone knew how the room worked, and how to get down there. John hoped they wouldn't need it, but knowing he could keep his civilians safe was a huge weight off his shoulders.

An updated status report from Miko and Radek indicated no movement from Genii, but they were staying vigilant. The raids on the two Genii properties they confirmed were set for overnight tonight.

Everyone was in a holding pattern. They just had to wait and see.

And waiting was the hardest thing.

The overnight raids went off as planned, although none of the main guys they knew were running the operation were at any of the locations. It put John even more on edge, as the next morning, he stood outside, trying not to give in to the paranoia he was starting to feel.

They were coming. He was almost certain of it. He just didn't know when.

John was turning to go back into the house when he heard the shot, and the pain lanced through his shoulder a moment later. "Mother fucker!" He grabbed at the wound and ducked back inside, hitting the alarm button nearby that would alert everyone in the house what was going on, and tell the civilians to go to the safe room, now.

Beckett, though, was at his side in a few minutes, the medical kit open at his knee. Somehow John had ended up on his knees just inside the door.

He let the doctor get a bandage on him, then stood up, pushing him toward the stairs. "Get downstairs, now. I need to make sure everyone else is safe, and take care of this little pest problem, once and for all."

Beckett looked like he was going to protest, but Cadman have him a look and he acquiesced, leaving the medical kit on the kitchen island before he headed down to the basement.

John grabbed several weapons out of the drawer where they were keeping them, and moved to the doorway, staying just inside. He peeked around and returned fire when he saw movement coming toward the deck.

"We should have reinforced the glass," Lorne commented, sending his own shot out through the windows leading toward the front driveway.

"Well, now we know for next time. When this is over, we're having all the windows in this place done." John let out a few more shots. "I'm willing to bet our missing big boys are here, somewhere. They need to be taken care of, one way or another, today. I'm tired of this game."

"You and me both," Lorne said as Cadman headed upstairs with her sniper rifle. Good. Maybe she would be able to pick some of them off.

"Did everyone get down into the safe room okay?"

"I saw the Millers and Beckett go down. Where was McKay?" Lorne asked and then shifted to send off two shots. He gave a small shout of triumph when one of his shots hit home. "That's one less."

"As far as I know, he was still upstairs. Damn it."

"Maybe he'll stay in the closet."

"This is McKay we're talking about. Can you cover both doors so I can look for him and get him to safety?"

"I can see him hiding under the bed," Lorne said, letting out a few more shots. "One more," he commented and then pointed toward the deck where two men with machine guns were quickly approaching the house. "And I don't know if we have time for that luxury right now."

"Fuck." John took the shots, taking out both men. Machine guns? Seriously?

"Where there's two, there's surely more," Lorne advised with a grunt as he finished off his clip and reloaded. John could hear several shots from upstairs. He hoped it meant Cadman was taking care of some of the outlying targets.

John unloaded a few more shots before switching out his own clips. He broke cover for a moment to get a better shot at another machine gun trying to come up from the side. He took the guy out, but felt another bullet rip through his thigh. Genii was really starting to piss him off.

"Sheppard!" Lorne yelled, glancing over his shoulder from where he was pinned near the front door.

"I'm fine! Just don't let them in the house!"

"Where did they get all these guys?" Lorne asked. 

"Probably mercenaries hired for the job," John growled. He took out two more. "But they don't have an unlimited supply, and there are only two ways into this house, and we have both covered. As long as neither of us lets one slip by, and Cadman keeps picking off the idiots further back, we can thin the herd enough to make the paid guys walk, leaving just the Genii to deal with."

"If we don't run out of ammo."

"God, I hope not."

"You and me both," Lorne said, picking off two more.

It felt like it went on for a long time, but probably faster than it seemed, the bullets and men stopped. "I'd say we've taken out enough mercenaries to get the rest to leave. So now we're just dealing with Genii."

"We need to get your leg bandaged."

"I know, but not until this is over. We can't afford to leave this door unguarded, and you can't watch both."

"Oh god, are you bleeding?" Rodney's voice startled him and he glanced over, spotting the scientist at the edge of the stairs, his blue eyes wide and fixed on the blood on John's leg.

"Get down into the safe room!” John shouted. “This isn't over. It's just a reprieve! I'll be fine!"

"Not if you bleed to death," Rodney said, shaking himself. He turned and headed right back upstairs.

"Fuck! McKay! Get down into the God-damned safe room!" John gritted his teeth.

"I don't think he's listening right now," Lorne said. "No surprise there."

"Christ, the man is going to drive me insane." John grabbed a bandage out of Beckett's med kit still sitting on the counter, quickly tying it around his leg. "There! I fixed it! Now you can go to the safe room, McKay!"

The scientist appeared a few minutes later, a huge medical kit in his hand and a compression bandage ready to go. He paused as soon as he saw John's semi-bandaged leg. "Oh."

John gritted his teeth. Between the two shots, he was starting to hurt, but he couldn't show Rodney that. "I promise, when this is all over, I'll let you and Beckett and whoever else you want look at my injuries. I promise. But please, please, get to the safe room so I can protect you right now. Please."

"Only if you let me fix that shoddy job you did right now," McKay persisted.

John wanted to scream. "I know it's a shitty job, because any minute now, the shooting could start again, and I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."

"The longer you argue the longer it's going to take," Rodney commented as he dropped to his knees next to John and started wrapping the wound. "Stupid man to put himself in the front of the bullet instead of stepping aside," he muttered to himself.

John gritted his teeth, but he decided to just let it go. It would take less time to let Rodney do this than to argue with him, he was right there. John went back to scanning the back yard, weapons ready. Although he did let out a startled half scream when Rodney pulled at something. "Fuck! That hurt!"

"Yes, it's a bullet wound. They tend to do that," Rodney said dryly as he tied off the end of the bandage and closed the lid of the medical kit.

"No shit." John had to take a few deep breaths. "Now will you go down to the safe room I built for you?"

"They probably locked the door," Rodney said with a shrug. "Not sure if endangering them all is a good thing. I can go back upstairs and help Cadman keep a lookout."

"If you get shot, I will hurt you."

"Well, they'll hurt me first so…" Rodney offered a shrug and headed back upstairs with the kit.

"Christ." John wanted to bang his head on the wall, but movement outside caught all his attention. "I know you're out there," he called out. "You're not getting McKay or anyone else in this house."

"I think that will depend highly on whether or not you're still alive when this is all through," a voice said coming from the one spot on the deck John couldn't see. Three more people, however, appeared, their guns held at the ready. 

"Shit," Lorne said quietly, adding, "I've got three here."

"Same here," John said quietly. He took out two in rapid succession before the third ducked out of his line of sight. "I plan on being very much alive, and so far, your guys seem to be very much dead. You have to know by now that we've raided your other facilities, and turned enough information—including several scientists that went missing over the last year or so, in pretty bad shape—over to the authorities, that you're all wanted men now. It's over, you've lost."

Lorne's gun fired twice and then he cursed and John could hear him shuffling around. 

"Oh the game's not yet finished," he said and another window broke and a small canister landed on the floor. A flash bang.

"Fuck." John dove for it getting his hand on it and tossing back out the window seconds before it went off. He could feel the concussion wave roll over him, and it stunned him for a moment.

Another window broke and he heard the canister land. The sound was quickly followed by Lorne hitting the deck and yelling, "Cover!"

John felt the second wave hit him, and damn it hurt, especially in the two places he had already been shot. He only hoped Cadman was keeping track of what was going on, and could get to the stairs fast enough to take out anyone trying to get in before he and Lorne recovered.

What was more surprising, however, was the sound of gunfire outside the house.

John sat up slowly, shaking his head and trying to clear it. God he hurt all over now, and he wouldn't be surprised if he was one giant bruise—in the places he hadn't been shot—by the time this was over. "Lorne?"

"Ow."

"Yeah." Sitting up, John grabbed his weapon. "But we can't lay down on the job. Who's shooting outside?"

"I have no idea." He was climbing to his feet, his gun at the ready.

Peeking out the door, John tried to figure out what was going on. He blinked, not sure he wanted to believe his eyes. It looked like Rodney was outside. With a gun.

"Mother fucker."

"I don't see anyone," Lorne said. "My guy's down."

"McKay is outside. Cover me." John dove out the door, looking for targets.

"He's outside! I thought he was upstairs," Lorne said even as John heard another handgun shot and the resulting grunt from someone outside.

John sighted and shot someone who was bringing a gun around to aim at Rodney. He was moving as fast as he could to try to get to Rodney's position.

Rodney though was approaching the deck, his eyes fixed on the man John couldn't see before.

John started in that direction as well. He figured whoever it was, it was the person responsible for all this. Take him out, and all this would be over.

The man's face was covered in pockmarks and he was watching Rodney approach, looking amused. John sighted, knowing the man wasn't paying any attention to him.

"So the coward scientist has finally grown himself some balls," the man said, smirking at Rodney's approach. The scientist's outstretched arms that held the gun were shaking.

John wasn't going to let Rodney have this on his conscience. "Game over, asshole." He waited for the startled look in his direction and then shot him in the head.

Rodney paused a few feet away from the deck stairs, his eyes fixed on the man lying dead on the deck next to the barbeque. 

John kept one eye on Rodney, while continuing to scan for anyone else. "Lorne, clear the property. Make sure there aren't any more surprises." He moved slowly toward Rodney, gently taking the gun out of his hands.

"I don't see anyone else from here," Cadman called down to him from where she was perched on the edge of the first floor study roof.

"Keep an eye out, just in case. We'll want to make sure this is really over before we let our guard down." John handed his gun to Lorne, and took Rodney by the hand, leading him back inside.

The distant sound of sirens was growing louder. Someone had apparently called the cops. Better late than never. Rodney was shaking a little as John settled him on the couch.

John went down to the safe room, putting in the code to unlock the door. He immediately spotted Beckett. "I need you. McKay is going into shock. He picked up a gun and shot a few people when a flash bang took Lorne and I out for a few minutes."

"He what?" Beckett asked, but was on his feet immediately and pushing past John. The Millers looked up at him from where they were huddled on the couch they'd added to the room.

"Is it over?" Caleb asked, tightening the arm that was wrapped around his wife.

"I think so." John sighed. "I have Lorne and Cadman clearing the property to make sure, but I think we got the man who was behind everything. With luck, that will be the end of it."

"We'll be able to go back home?"

He nodded. "Give me another day or two to make sure, then yes, you'll be able to go home."

"Good and thank you," Caleb said gratefully, squeezing Jeannie's arm again.

Nodding, John headed back upstairs. He saw Beckett had Rodney in hand, so he went to the door to meet the police coming up the driveway. They were all armed, so he held his up to show he wasn't. "This is my house, and the men who just tried to invade me are mostly all out back, where they fell, along with the weapons they were shooting at us. I'll also turn over the guns me and my two staff used to prevent them from killing us." As long as he could, he planned to keep Rodney out of the shooting part of it.

"We'll need to speak with everyone," the officer said, glancing around and spotting three men within view of the front door.

John nodded. "I assumed so. If you'd like to come in, you're more than welcome. I have one civilian going into shock, being treated by our doctor, and several more, including a young child, down in a safe room in the basement, and then myself and two other people who are former military and our security."

The officer nodded and gestured to three others to fan out across the grounds. John appreciated the help. Hopefully if there were any more surprises, they would find them.

The next several hours were spent answering questions and making sure his people were okay. He was in the middle of answering still more questions from the officer in charge when he suddenly felt himself go light headed, and swayed on his feet. Shit. He hadn't forgotten about the shots, but he had forgotten how much blood he had lost. He found himself sitting on the floor, blinking up at the officer.

"Right, and I think we might be done here for a wee bit," he heard Beckett say and then the doctor was at his side. "And if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to get him to the hospital to get his wounds cleaned and stitched up right."

John blinked again, trying to clear his head. "Ow."

"Yes, of course," Officer Mahelona said, the same officer who John had been talking to since they arrived. A few minutes later and medics swirled around him and time seemed to elongate. The next thing he really noticed was the antiseptic smell and when he opened his eyes the white walls of a hospital greeted him.

His shoulder and leg both hurt, but it was the kind of dull ache that told him he was on some kind of pain meds. He made a face, trying to sit up so he could look around.

Sitting up, though, was not something his body agreed with and after a few attempts he ended up panting heavily and still flat on his back. The door opened and he turned his head toward the sound, surprised to see Beckett walking in, a chart in his hands. 

He tried to wave, stopped when it shot pain through his shoulder, and managed a half smile, half grimace instead. "Hey, doc."

"John," Beckett said, his head popping up from the chart to look at him. He moved toward the bed, putting the papers down at the end. "You're awake I see. That's good. How's the pain?"

"Hurts, but mostly just an ache unless I try to move." John shifted to try and get comfortable. "Everyone else okay? How's Rodney?"

"Everyone is fine. The Millers headed home this morning. Dave sent another one of your company jets and took care of getting them settled back at home. Lorne and Cadman are working with the construction crews to get the house set back to rights."

"Good. Bulletproof glass. In all the windows," John insisted.

"Already on the list."

"Good." John sharpened his gaze as much as he could on drugs. "Rodney?"

"Still here in Hawaii."

"That's not what I want to know, and you know it."

"He's fine. Stubborn as usual. Still at the house."

John sighed. "Carson."

"What?"

"What aren't you telling me?"

"What do you want to know? Rodney didn't go back to Maine. He's at the house waiting for you to get out of the hospital."

"He's okay? He was going into shock last time I saw him."

"He's fine. Not a scratch on him."

John gave up. Beckett was obviously not going to give him the information he was looking for.

Beckett stared at him for a moment before turning back to the chart. "You'll probably be able to go home tomorrow. I know your brother is making arrangements for your physical therapy back home."

"Home as in the house here,” John ground out. “I'm not leaving as long as Rodney is here."

"I'll let you take up that fight with your brother when you're out of here."

John snorted. "Dave rarely wins when he tries to make me do something I don't want to."

"I'll keep that in mind," Beckett said with a smile. "Rest up and we'll get your transferred home in the morning."

"Good." He sighed. "Seriously, how is Rodney doing? Please tell me. I know he's not hurt physically."

"He was shaken a bit by what happened," Beckett said, leaning his hip against the side of John's bed. "It will take him a while to get over the whole situation and I did suggest he talk to someone about everything that happened to him, but he can be one stubborn son of a bitch when he wants to be. I haven't let him come here because I don't want him to have that much stress right now."

"Then it's even more important that I get home to him, so he can see I'm okay."

"Tomorrow." Beckett patted his leg.

"And Carson? No more pain meds, okay? I know I probably needed them at first, but now that I'm awake, I'd rather have a little pain than the fuzzy feeling."

"We'll see," the doctor smiled and patted his leg again. "I'll be back with some food in a little bit so until then rest."

John dozed for a while, letting himself drift.

Beckett was true to his word and brought him lunch—a turkey sandwich and salad—which John ate and then ended up falling back to sleep again. When he woke again, there was a covered tray on the side table and he spotted a blonde head sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"Hi."

Cadman jumped and sent an annoyed glare at him. "Sir. You're up. I figured you'd sleep through the night."

He gave her a tired grin. "Just practicing my stealth skills. How's everything back at the house?"

"Quiet, which is a nice change," she said with a smile. "Need anything? I have some dinner if you're interested."

"Yeah, I should at least pick at it, or your boyfriend will stick me with uncomfortably large needles out of spite."

"Probably," she said with a grin as she rose to her feet, moving the side table closer to John and raising the head of his bed so he was sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected for being shot several times, and then standing next to two flash bangs as they went off. How's Lorne? Was he hurt at all?"

"He's a little banged up, but he was treated on site and has been working with the construction crews. Most of the damage was downstairs."

John nodded. He didn't remember Lorne getting shot, but he had wanted to make sure. He paused. "Has anyone heard from my father? Carson mentioned my brother, but Patrick Sheppard usually likes to show up in the aftermath and take charge."

"Right. About that…"

"Shit. Just tell me."

"It was actually kinds of funny in a train wreck kind of way…" she said with a smirk. "It seems that McKay wasn't happy with him coming in and directing things, so he gave him a piece of his mind. He more or less told him to fuck off."

"Oh fuck..." John put his face in his hands.

"He was almost like how he used to be in the labs before this all happened. It was kind of nice for him to…let him have it. Your father, actually, knew it was the better part of valor to retreat, so he said he'd be at the Royal Hawaiian for the next few days if you wanted to speak to him."

John moaned. Now he would be required to go see his father on his own ground.

"Rodney mentioned something about seeing him in hell first, but that might have just been a throwaway…" Cadman smirked at him.

"Can I stay here?” John whined. “I could get shot again if it would help."

"I think McKay would kill you then, so the answer is no. You're going home tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll never hear the end of it. I think he believes I throw myself in front of bullets on purpose."

"Probably," Cadman smiled. "Eat up and then rest. You're going to need all your strength tomorrow."

John made a face, but took her advice. He managed to get half the tray down before he was too tired to stay awake anymore. Stupid drugs.

The next time he woke, sunlight was poking through the windows. It was still pretty low so it was early. It looked like Lorne had the latest shift and he caught him snoring in the chair next to the bed.

Sitting up slowly, John realized Carson had cut back on his meds. It hurt more, but he was feeling a lot less fuzzy. And he had to pee. Moving slowly, he managed to get his legs out of the bed.

Lorne shifted and woke himself up, managing to catch John who was almost out of the bed. "Whoa there, sir, where are you going?" He was quick to move and get John back into the bed.

"I was trying to get to the bathroom."

"That's what the catheter is for."

John gave him a hard, flat look.

"Don't look at me. Complain to Beckett when he gets here."

"He's releasing me today. That means I don't need it anymore, and can piss on my own, in the bathroom."

"When he gets here, sure. Now. No," Lorne insisted.

"Why don't you go get me something to eat? I might be hungry."

"It's coming in about an hour."

"So go get yourself some coffee. I know you have to want it."

"Sheppard, I'm not leaving the room so deal with it. If you break again I am not dealing with Beckett or McKay. Understand?"

John huffed. "I used to think being the boss meant when I told people to do things, they did them. Instead I get people who smirk at me and mock me. I feel cheated somehow."

"Not when you're in an ass-less gown." Lorne smirked at him.

"Fucker."

"It's the truth. You're not exactly boss material the way you're dressed."

John tried for a glare, but when all it got him was another smirk, he gave up. "Can you at least call Beckett and tell him I'm up? I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible."

"You can't wait an hour? He should be here by then and we can start walking you through your discharge."

John sighed. "I hate sitting still."

"Well, get used to it,” Lorne warned, “because you're not going too far with a thigh wound."

John winced. "How bad was it? At the time, I had too much adrenaline and then I was distracted with the cops."

"You lost a lot of blood and by the time you fainted on the cops you were very pale. I'm surprised Beckett hadn't demanded you go to the hospital as soon as the shooting stopped, but I guess he was a little busy dealing with McKay. Let's just say you were not in good shape when you got here."

John winced. "To be honest, I got so caught up in dealing with everything, that I didn't even think about it. How are the cops by the way? I assume they got everything they needed to show it wasn't us who started things?"

"Things will be fine. We got the attention of the Five-O unit, but they've been pretty understanding. I'm sure they'll want to talk to you at some point."

"I figured. Did we turn over all the information we had on Genii to them? Do we know that we got the guys who were really the ones driving this insanity?"

"The last guy you killed was Acastus Kolya. From what we can tell, he was the brawn behind much of what happened. Genii's president, Cowen, is still free, however. We're keeping an eye on him, but we've since lost the access we had to their computers."

"Not surprising,” John nodded. “I'm sure they had someone working to close the holes as soon as we made them. Hopefully, with this Kolya out of the picture, Cowen will be less troublesome. But have our people keep an eye out, and try to find a way back into their servers, just in case."

"Of course. I already have Stackhouse on it. I want to create a team whose only job is to oversee outside threats like Genii Corp."

"Not a bad idea,” John mused. “Whatever resources you need, just let me know and I'll sign off on it."

"We'll get you a proposal," Lorne said with a nod. "On a side note, Simon is in the wind."

"Simon?"

"Elizabeth’s fiancée…well, ex-fiancée at this point. He's cleared out of her house and his apartment. Apparently the ties to the Genii were deeper than we thought."

"Wow." John ran a hand through his hair, making a face at how dirty it felt. "How is she taking it?"

"According to Stackhouse, she hasn't said much to anyone about it. Stiff upper lip and all." Lorne shrugged. "You might get more out of her once you head back to Maine."

"Speaking of which, can you have someone look into clearing an assistant for me who won't sell out to the enemy? I know damn well I'll start forgetting shit if I don't have someone there to remind me what needs to be done." He paused. "Unless I can convince you to do it. Someone who can both keep track of shit and shoot people who decide to take what doesn't belong to them would be nice. I pay really well. And have good benefits."

"I already work for you," Lorne said with a smile. "And I've seen your inbox."

"Yeah, but I pay my assistants outrageous amounts to put up with my shit."

"I refuse to be your pimp."

John flushed. "I'm pretty sure, as long as he'll still have me, I'm sticking with McKay. He'd take my balls if I slept with anyone else, even if I wanted to at this point. Which I don't anyway."

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, you have a certain…reputation. I've known McKay longer than I've known you, so…"

"Yeah, I know what my reputation is. I spent a long time trying not to care about anything. McKay sort of snuck up on me."

Lorne nodded, his gaze even and unflinching as he examined John. "I'll think about it."

John nodded. "Thanks. I don't trust easily, and I have to give the person who works that close with me a huge amount of trust."

"I understand, sir, but it's not a black and white decision. I have loyalties to Elizabeth and Atlantis, too." The door opened quietly and Lorne glanced over, smiling at Beckett as he walked in. "Good to see you, doc. Chatty Cathy here is up and wanting to move around."

"God, yes. Please let me use the restroom like an adult," John pleaded.

Beckett chuckled and grabbed for his chart, going over the notes from the attending doctor from overnight. "Your pressure's up," Beckett said. "How much pain are you in?"

John decided truth would be better than not. He had a feeling if he tried to lie, Beckett would know and punish him for it somehow. It was weird to have people around him again who knew him that well. "Some. More than on the drugs, but I prefer it to being on pain meds. Nothing I can't handle."

"Uh huh," Beckett said, his eyes still on the chart. He continued reading from a few more minutes before tucking it back on the end of the bed. "Okay, I'll get rid of that hardware and then Evan here will help you to the bathroom. I'm concerned about your thigh and I don't want you to overdo it. So if Evan will give us the room for a few minutes, we can get started."

John hated this part, but it was necessary. Fortunately, it didn't take long to get the damn thing out of his body, which was a relief in and of itself. Lorne helped him to the restroom with no issues, and John came back to bed feeling a thousand times better. 

"We're going to need to talk about your rehabilitation," Beckett said, perched on the edge of his bed. "Your brother was setting up doctors back in Washington, but I know you were not interested in returning back there."

"No, I don't want to go back there." John sighed. "I'd rather stay here, to be honest. Or, if Rodney decides to go back to Maine, I'd go there."

"The house here is not really set up to accommodate a wheelchair unless you decide to move downstairs until you're healed."

"Wheelchair?" John gave him a helpless look. "I figured I'd be on crutches for a while, but seriously? A chair?"

"Wheelchair until I say so, yes. With the injury to your shoulder, you canna take the strain."

With a sigh, John finally nodded. "I still want to be wherever Rodney is. My preference is here. I like this house, and the ocean, even if it means sleeping in the study for a few weeks."

"There are bedrooms downstairs we can change over for you in the meantime, especially with the Millers back home," Beckett said with a nod. "If you plan to stay here, we will need to get in touch with some therapists who can come to the house."

"That shouldn't be a problem. I hope. It's not like we don't have room to house them for a little while."

"The therapist wouldn't stay,” Carson told him. “They'd come each day for your appointments. It's easier than getting you in and out of a car."

"Whatever works. I don't care to be honest." John shrugged, winced as it pulled his shoulder, then brightened. "Hey, does that mean I can't take field trips? As in no traipsing to resort hotel fortresses? I'm on doctor's orders to not go anywhere else, right?"

"I'm sure your father will come to the house if he wants to speak to you, even if Rodney ran him off the first time," Carson grinned knowingly.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I'd still rather deal with him there than the hotel. Less like being a kid being called to his office when I did something stupid enough to get his attention," John confessed.

Beckett chuckled and patted his leg. "Okay, let's get you ready for your discharge and get you home and in bed. Cadman is prepping one of the bedrooms downstairs for you since I figured that's what you wanted to do."

"Thanks." 

Getting home wore him out a lot more than he thought it would, and after greeting Rodney briefly, he found himself falling asleep for a nap. When he woke up, he immediately heard two voices he knew well. Yelling at each other. Seemed his father had come over, and he and Rodney were going at it again.

"…sleeping and the last thing he needs is to be disturbed by you!"

"He is my son, and I will see him."

"Are you a moron? Do I need to break it down into one-syllable words you can understand? No. I don't care who you are or what rights you think you have. You'll see him when he's good and ready for you to see him and not a minute before. You might as well turn your suit-clad ass right back around and go back to your royal palace because you're not seeing him. We'll give you a call when he can see you."

John winced. Oh, that wasn't going to go over well. "Now see here, you little piece of shit. John is my son, and he has been injured. I will not be tossed out like the trash. I own this house, and everything and everyone in it."

"Read my lips. I. Don't. Care. Get out or I'll call the police and the Five-O squad. They seem to like us."

John decides to step in before they come to blows. "Hello?"

Of course with the door closed, his voice—which was a lot weaker than he thought it should be—didn't reach too far.

"And for your information, you do not own me! I am not property to be owned. We're not living in the dark ages anymore where it is appropriate to own another person," Rodney continued.

"I sign your paycheck, that means I own you."

John raised his voice, trying to get it to carry. "Hey guys?"

"I don't work for you and I haven't gotten a paycheck in the last two weeks! Instead I've been running for my life because you didn't think the work we were doing was important enough to warrant a decent security staff!"

"Guys!" John managed to get his voice up to full strength that time, despite the wince at how it pulled at his shoulder.

While the argument outside continued, the door thankfully opened a few beats later and Beckett stuck his head in. "Oh, John. You're up. I thought I heard you."

"Yes. Can you tell the stooges to stop yelling at each other and come in?"

"I don't know if that's the best thing for you—"

John waved his hand to cut Beckett off. "Be that as it may, neither is listening to them tear each other into pieces. Knowing them both, they could do this for hours."

Beckett sighed and nodded. "Aye. Let me see if I can break it up. Do you actually want to talk to your father?"

"Yeah. Let them both in. That way they can tag-team berating me for getting shot, and we can get it all out of the way at once."

Beckett didn't look happy, but he waded back out into the fray, finally managing to distract the two combatants for the yelling to stop. A few beats later his father was at the door, his eyes cool as they took in John lying on the bed.

"Hey, Dad." John managed a weak wave, remembering to use the non-injured arm for once.

"I can't believe you let this get to this point. Why didn't you come to me to discuss this?"

"I figured Dave was updating you. He knew what was going on." John sighed. "And while I figured Genii would eventually make a try, I didn't think they would bring machine gun-toting mercenaries. That was a surprise."

"This could have all been avoided if you'd come to see me. Cowen isn't a bad man, John. He's just looking out for his company."

"He kidnaps and kills people who won't work for him legally. That's not really good, Dad."

"If you back anyone into a corner, they're going to get desperate, John,” Patrick lectured. “It's human nature. It's instinct."

"Please don't defend him. I was shot twice in his latest attempt to take what didn't belong to him. Telling someone you won't work for them isn't backing them into a corner."

"We'll discuss this when you're thinking clearer," he said with a condescending smile. "I know Doctor Beckett is taking good care of you and the drugs are making you a little fuzzy. And we also need to discuss Doctor McKay's current role in Atlantis Corp."

"No." John sat up straighter, glaring. "One, I'm not on any pain meds, and I'm thinking perfectly clear. Two, Rodney is staying head of science for Atlantis. Just because you finally met someone who can match you shout for shout doesn't mean he's going anywhere. And where he goes, I go."

"Like I said, we'll discuss this when you're back on your feet. Until then, we'll get everything straightened out with Genii Corp." Patrick Sheppard turned and headed toward the door. "I'll be back in a few days to discuss this further."

"Genii are bad people, Dad. Don't force me to do something neither of us wants." He had learned all about hostile takeovers. John could have Atlantis separated from Sheppard Industries before his father even realized what was going on. It wasn't like he didn't have a pile of money of his own sitting in bank accounts unused.

His father, though, ignored him, as he usually did. "I'll talk to you in a few days, John."

John wanted to bang his head on the bed, but he was pretty sure Carson would kill him for it.

Beckett poked his head in as soon as Patrick Sheppard was gone. "You okay?"

"I need my laptop." John caught his eye when Carson started to object. "Not for long, but please."

Carson pursed his lips, but nodded. "I'll get it. Do you need anything else?"

"No. Well, Rodney if he's not too pissed to talk to me. I've missed him, and I didn't really get a chance to say hi before."

"He's more worried than anything. I can send him in if you want."

"Thanks." John startled making a mental list while he waited. One of the benefits of having been the point person was that John had made his own connections with a lot of people, some of whom liked him, but really didn't like Patrick Sheppard very much, so wouldn't care if this were going to piss him off. John was about to steal Atlantis out from under his father, and he had a feeling it wasn't going to be well received. But he had to protect the people he had come to care a lot about in the last few weeks.

A few minutes later Rodney entered the room with a few quick moving steps as if someone had given him a shove. He was holding John's laptop in his arms. After scowling at whoever gave him the final push, Rodney approached the bed. "Ah…hi. Carson said you were feeling better."

John took the laptop and set it aside for a moment, before holding out his arms, feeling a little shy and unsure. "I missed you."

"You were the one who was in the hospital for nearly bleeding out in the living room," Rodney said quietly, but eased himself down and gently leaned forward enveloping John in a careful hug.

John ignored the twinges and pulled Rodney down, curling into him. "I know. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Careful, careful! If I do anything to break you Carson will have my head."

John let Rodney arrange them in a way that didn't pull at the bandages, but left them in each other's arms. "I'm sorry about my father."

"I'm used to dealing with idiots," Rodney said with a small shrug, his head resting on John's uninjured shoulder. He was lying on top of the covers, an arm thrown over John's waist.

"Yeah, well, he's... worse than most, especially when he decides he's right."

"He has the money to back up whatever he says. It's a mindset that comes with money."

"That never worked well with me,” John chuckled. “It's why we've spent most of my life at odds with each other. And why I'm about to re-open all those old wounds in one fell swoop." He told Rodney about his plan to steal Atlantis out from under his father.

"Can you really do that?"

"I think so. I have the money in accounts, and I think I know people who will only be too happy to help me do it. My father has a lot of enemies. They smile to his face because he has money and power, but they hate him. I spent a lot of time building relationships with them. I think I always figured eventually I would do something like this."

"So what, this is going to be Sheppard Industries take two?"

"No. Once I get the company free, I was thinking I'd see if you and Elizabeth wanted to draw up paperwork making it joint ownership with me. Without Sheppard Industries backing us, money would be a little tighter than it has been, but not impossible. I'd handle the financing part, you'd handle the science, and we let Elizabeth continue to run everything else."

"Do we have to decide everything right now?" Rodney asked quietly. "Wouldn't it be better to really think things through? I mean, after everything how can you still trust me to run something like that?"

John caught his face, leaning in for a soft kiss. "I trust you. With everything."

Rodney sighed quietly, pressing his forehead against John's. "I wish it were that simple that you could just…forget what I did, what I didn't tell you because I was too worried about my own damn pride…"

"Not forget, no. I won't pretend that. But forgive? I already have, Rodney. It's not like I haven't made stupid decisions in my life. Hell, I let my father use me as a pretty company whore for the last few years because it was easier than fighting. I'm not really all that proud of it, or that I more or less gave up on life until you came along."

"Well, you are pretty," Rodney said with a small smile.

John snorted, but grinned at him. "Shut up, I'm trying to have a moment."

"Right," Rodney said with a quiet sigh. "So are you just going to talk about taking over the world or actually do something about it?"

Reaching over, John grabbed his laptop. "I'm going to do it, and you're going to help me." He spent the next hour getting in touch with the people he needed, and to his relief, they were all positively giddy at the chance to bite their thumbs at the Sheppard Industries megalith.

It would take some time, but the balls were in motion. Things were going to change.

John hated to admit that he was tired again, stupid healing. But he left the laptop with Rodney, and had been careful to make sure everyone he was contacting knew they could talk to Rodney too, so he was content to nap while his lover handled things for a little while.


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days and weeks were exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. There was a lot to be done, but with determination he got it all done.

One of the first things he did when Beckett got Rodney out of the house to do some errands was call Jeannie and have a long, pointed conversation. Without the threat of death and uncertainty so close she was more willing to listen—not that John gave her much choice. He’d left it in her hands, but had been pleasantly surprised when a few nights later she called to talk to Rodney.

He’d refused, at first, to talk to her, but curiosity got the best of him when John laughed once too often and he snatched the phone away from him—and spent the next hour talking with his sister. It was quiet and loud in equal measure, but Rodney was more settled when he hung up.

John was happy to see that they chatted more regularly after that—some over email, some on the phone. It was progress on both of their parts especially because John didn’t see the beat-down look on Rodney’s face after he spoke with her anymore.

So while John continued to work with the physical therapist once a day, he was also planning the rise of the new Atlantis Corporation—complete with a new mission and vision.

He managed to keep it all from his father until it was too late for him to do anything about it. Dave had, surprisingly, been willing to help him, signing the paperwork that made it all official and laughing about it. John had never realized his brother felt as stifled by their father as he did. But given the sheer amusement Dave was getting out of this, he had to admit he wasn't the only one who was a little bit fucked up in their family.

His father, when it was all said and done, was not going to know what hit him. And it only served him right because he'd seen various emails going back and forth between his father and Cowen—thanks to Miko—that was negotiating the exchange of Rodney to Genii for a serious amount of cash.

It pissed John off to a degree that had him refusing to even talk about it. The day they had found that, he had pushed the therapist so hard, she had left in tears.

And he hadn't mentioned it to Rodney. He didn't need to know how callous John’s father was.

On the day it was all finally done, and John owned Atlantis outright, the relief was profound. He called his brother and offered him a job.

Dave had laughed at him and told him no, that he needed someone on the inside at Sheppard Industries if his plan was going to last the year. Patrick Sheppard was already calling lawyers to get his so-called rightful property back.

John knew eventually he'd hear from his father directly, but for the moment, he was too amused with being able to pull off the coup to care. For now, he dragged Rodney into the study, and got Elizabeth Weir on the phone. Now that John owned Atlantis, they needed to decide how they wanted to proceed. "All right guys, the paperwork was final today. I am now the sole owner of Atlantis, separate from Sheppard Industries and my father."

Rodney flashed him a broad smile even as he heard Elizabeth's gasp on the other end of the phone. "You bought our Sheppard Industries' interests?" she asked. "Where did you come up with that kind of capital?"

John grinned. "Stole it right out from under my father. He's in the process of trying to fight it now, but everything is completely legal, and Dave signed all the paperwork—which he has full authority to do. As for the capital, I had a lot of money I never used, and a lot of people who like me more than my father."

"Oh, that's…" She was silent for a few beats, obviously gathering her thoughts. "So what does this mean for Atlantis? Is it business as usual?"

"Yes. I'd like to draft up a formal contract between the three of us, making us equal partners in the company. Rodney handling the sciences, I'll take care of finances, and you run everything else the way you have been."

"Partners?" Elizabeth questioned.

"You guys built this company into what it is, and I want you to have the same stake it continuing to make it great. I know you weren't exactly happy with someone else coming in and having authority over you. With what I have in mind, we'd share leadership jointly between the three of us, but none of us would have any more power than the other two."

"I…I don't know what to say. I know I don't have the money to invest at the full level a partner should…"

"I'm not asking for money,” John reassured her. “I have enough. Frankly, I don't have the desire or the skills to be the kind of leader you are. I'm not patient or political enough to handle day to day operations of a company like this, but I do love numbers and I am good at networking and schmoozing with investors and other people who would help us build this out. And Rodney is good at managing the science department, but he doesn't care about the outside stuff enough to bother, and doesn't pay enough attention to be capable of running a company. You have the skill set that balances us all out, and the fact that you've run this company to the point it's at shows that."

"So," Elizabeth said, "Rodney's already made his decision."

"I had to talk him into it, too." John chuckled at his lover's face. "He had the same reasons you did, to be honest. But I really don't want or need your money. I'm not my father. I don't have any desire to be him or run things the way he would. I want to take a company and people I fell in love with the minute I walked in, and I want to make it great. I want us to be a household name, like the Apple or Microsoft of science. But I know I can't do it alone, and I want the best people for the job working with me to do it."

"Can I think about it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course. Just don't take too long, since the sooner I can get paperwork and contracts settled, the less legs I give my father to stand on. One of the things I'll be doing for the foreseeable future is fending off his attempts to take us back over. It's sort of like a chess game, and I'm trying to make sure all my pieces are set up to make checkmate inevitable, even if he can't see it yet."

"Elizabeth," Rodney said, speaking up. "Don't discount what John's offering you. I know it hasn't been the best of beginnings…with the Genii and Simon and whatnot, but John's a good man. He knows what he's doing most of the time and he's willing to listen. Think about it."

John smiled at him. "Take some time to think about it. I'll have the lawyer send you over a copy of the contracts I'd like to set up, so you can look it over and have your own people look at it, if you'd like. And if you have any changes, you are welcome to suggest them."

"Yes, if you can do that I'd like that," Elizabeth said. 

"It will be in your inbox today then."

"I'll keep an eye out for it and will give you an answer by the end of the week. Is that fair?"

"Fair enough." They finished up the call, and John sat back. His shoulder and thigh were a hell of a lot better, but they still ached a bit when he stayed in one position for too long. "So how do you think that went?"

"About as well as it could have gone,” Rodney shrugged. “I know she doesn't like surprises and this was a big one for her. I'm actually impressed that she said she'd give you her answer by week's end. I figured she'd want more time."

"Hopefully she realizes that the longer we take to set the structure in stone, the easier it is for my father to take us back over. It might sound altruistic to give away two-thirds of the company, but by making you both equal partners, it makes it nearly impossible for my father to steal it out from under us again."

"I still think you should have the bulk of the say. It's your company."

"Our company,” John emphasized. “All I have in it to this point is money. You're the one who has the smarts to actually run the sciences. And Elizabeth has built and managed it from a small startup to what it is today."

"I'm not going to have this argument with you again," Rodney said with a quiet sigh and a smile.

John chuckled softly. "I know. Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Rodney told him. "Not to change the subject, but when are the construction people going to be finished? I hate having them underfoot."

"Soon. Lorne and I chatted about it yesterday. He was taking the opportunity to upgrade a few other things while we had the chance, but it's all pretty much done at this point. Just a few last touches to finish up."

"Lorne's upgrading?"

"Yeah. All the windows are bullet and shatter proof now—which is also a plus for if and when a major storm blows through. I think he upgraded the wiring for the whole house too, and we'll have several phone lines and several different Internet connections, a few of which will be as secure as Miko could make them."

Rodney's eyes widened. "And why didn't you tell me this? I'm sure I could have helped with the security settings."

"I put Lorne in charge of it, so you'll have to ask him. I just get a report once he's already done something."

"Oh. Why did you put him in charge? It's your house."

"Because I didn't want to deal with it, and he's good at it. He's more or less our head of security, Rodney. I just let him do his job."

"I didn't think head of security was responsible for house repairs."

John shrugged. "He decided it was, and I didn't tell him no."

Rodney snorted. "So you really are as lazy as you sound sometimes."

"It's called delegation," John protested, laughing.

This time Rodney chuckled as he rose to his feet. "Right. Sure it is."

John wiggled his eyebrows. "I have other skills too. Want a demonstration?"

"Only if Carson has said you’re allowed to demonstrate those skills," Rodney said, eyeing him. It had been his standard answer for the last few weeks, which had only left blowjobs and hand jobs as their main source of sexual intimacy—and even then Rodney had insisted on doing most of the work when they'd gotten to the deed…after much discussions about physical ability.

John stood up and started stalking Rodney. He was tired of waiting. "I want your ass, Rodney. I want to spread you out and stretch you until you're nonverbal with need. Then I want to fuck you so slow you'll be practically sobbing for release. And then I'll fuck you so hard you'll feel me in your throat, and you'll come so hard you'll see stars."

"Only…only," Rodney said stumbling as he backed out of the door to the study and into the kitchen. "Only if Carson said you can. I'm not going to break you again."

"You won't break me." John followed him. "I can walk just fine on my own now, which means I can do other things too."

"Only if Carson says you can."

"He says I can."

"If I go and ask him will he say the same thing?"

John grabbed Rodney's hand and dragged him into the living room where Carson was sitting with Cadman. "Beckett. I'm going to go fuck Rodney through the mattress, and he wants a doctor's note that it's okay."

Carson blinked at him in surprise a few times before clearing his throat. "Well, I did say that moderate sexual activity would be okay—yes and I did mean that mean penetration—but I'm not sure that fucking into a mattress would quality as moderate."

"I plan to fuck him slowly, and drive him crazy before I let him come."

"Then aye, that should be fine as long as he doesn't put up too much of a fight. I'm sure the construction gentleman may be able to lend you some rope or ties if it becomes an issue," Carson said with a straight face. 

Rodney's face was priceless—mouth open in surprise and disbelief.

"Hmmm, bondage is a possibility,” John said considering, “but maybe another day. I want to feel him squirming underneath me today, silently begging me to just let him come already. I plan to make him nonverbal before I let him release."

"Och, that sounds divine, I must say. But you just need to be careful with your injuries, John, so I'd suggest doing everything you can to make sure Rodney won't give you too much trouble or jostle you too much. I donna want you to strain anything."

"We'll be careful." John turned to look at Rodney with one eyebrow up. "So, wanna go upstairs and have your brains fucked out?"

"You just…he just…I can't believe…I'm standing right here!" Rodney gasped.

"You said you wanted to hear it from him that I could fuck you without getting re-injured. This was the quickest way to do it."

"I can't believe you actually talked to him about all the particulars!"

"Of course he did, Rodney," Carson said calmly. "I'm his doctor and he's concerned about how he's healing."

John gave him a smug grin, even as he grabbed Rodney's hand again and started hauling him toward the bedroom.

"How many other people have you shared this with?" Rodney asked even as he followed John up the stairs to the master bedroom.

"No one else. You said you wanted Beckett's okay that I could have sex. I just got it, and made sure he signed off on exactly what I have in mind so you can't object later."

They had still been sleeping downstairs, so John had plenty of time to arrange the room just the way he wanted it without worrying that Rodney would stumble in and ruin the surprise. It was dim, with the curtains pulled. The sheets were the softest things I had been able to find, and there were a variety of supplies sitting within easy reach of the bed.

John drew Rodney into the room before letting go of his hand and closing and locking the door behind him. The scientist stood right where John had left him, looking around the room, taking everything in. 

"You're serious about this."

"Oh god yes." John's hands were already on Rodney's shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it out of the way. "I've been dreaming about this for weeks. I want you, Rodney." He pressed his body up against his lover, letting him feel how hard he already was, just thinking about it.

Rodney's hands moved to cup the side of John's face, his touch tender as it had been for the past few weeks. "I just…you were hurt so badly…"

"I know." John leaned into Rodney's hand a little. "But I'm better now. I really am."

"I can't believe I fell for you. You're not my type. I usually like breasts and you don't have any of those."

"I do have other parts." John ran his hands down Rodney's chest, teasing at his nipples.

Rodney groaned quietly, one hand brushing through John's hair while the other gently held onto his shoulder. "You just…came in and saved me and then stayed with me when most people would have run the other way. And you still want me even after I've been a dick about sex with you."

"Because I'm sort of stupid over you. You make me want things I never thought I would. Like white picket fences and forever kind of things."

"I am not having two point five children."

"Good, because I kind of like that neither of us has those particular parts. I like my dick, and I'm sort of fond of yours, too."

"Well, I certainly hope so. If we're going to actually do this I wouldn't want you to have issues with my dick."

John let one hand stray down, deftly undoing Rodney's pants so he could get his fingers in. It was awkward at this angle, but he managed a few feather strokes. "Another day, I want you to use this beautiful dick to fuck me into the mattress. But today, it's my turn."

Rodney hissed as soon as John's fingers touched him, arching into the light touch. "Oh…I think….I think I want you to put your hands all over me and touch me and make me crazy. John, I want…"

"Yes, all of that." John captured Rodney's mouth in a searing kiss, not letting him go until they both needed air. "Naked. Now."

"You started it already," Rodney said, panting a little. "I think you can finish it."

Huffing. John grabbed the edges of Rodney's pants and boxers, pulling them down in one rush. Thankfully, both of them were barefoot since they'd been inside, so it was easy to push Rodney back to the bed, leaving the clothes behind. Once his lover was on the bed, John quickly stripped his own shirt and pants off—he hadn't been wearing any boxers.

"You weren't wearing any…" Rodney asked, his head tilted up to watch John. "That is so hot."

With a grin, John climbed into bed, right up Rodney's body. "All for you."

Rodney’s hands were grabby as John settled close, tugging him down exactly where he wanted John to be.

They both moaned, and John thrust a few times, rubbing them together, but he had a plan damnit. "Please, tell me you're on board with the fuck-you-into-the-mattress plan. I really, really want to fuck you."

“As long as you’re careful.”

"I promise." John kissed his way down Rodney's chest, stopping to suck and nip at his nipples for a while.  
“I mean it,” Rodney said when John came up for air a few minutes later. “You in pain is not sexy.”

"Not in pain at all." John rubbed his erection against Rodney's leg. "Trust me, if I am, I won't have this, and you'll know."

“And that’s something I really, really want.” Rodney reached up and ran his hand along John’s cheek before tugging him up to press a soft kiss against his lips.

John hummed, and went back to playing with Rodney's body.

He took it slow, wanting this to be something special for both of them. They’d been through a lot in the few months they’d known each other, more or less living in each other’s back pockets with a whole heaping pile of sexual tension added to the mix. He needed…he wanted….Rodney deserved to be loved and John had every intention of showing him just how much.

By the time he grabbed the lube and worked a single finger into his lover, Rodney was already relaxed and leaking.

But one finger was not going to take Rodney to the place John wanted him to go. He played with Rodney’s ass—with just that one finger until he couldn’t bear it anymore and finally added another. Rodney’s moans of pleasure continued to urge him on, the man moving away from concrete words even before John started on his ass.

When two fingers moved easily, John added a third, making sure he was hitting Rodney's prostate often enough to keep him moaning and writhing on the bed.

He loved the sounds Rodney made, love how the sweat glistened on his skin, loved the smell of his arousal… At this point, John could feel him falling in love with this cranky, irritable, but infinitely good man all over again. Rodney gave himself fully to whatever he did, not holding back and John loved the abandon Rodney showed. He loved that Rodney trusted him enough to show him everything.

He knew he couldn't wait any longer. Sitting up on his knees, He slicked himself up. He waited until he had Rodney's eyes on him, wide and beautiful, before pushing in, slowly, until he felt his balls pressing against that perfect ass.

“Oh…god….John,” Rodney groaned when John bottomed out in his ass. Rodney’s hands made grabby-grabby motions and John leaned in, careful not to bend Rodney completely in half.

He kissed his lover deeply, and John moaned into it. He finally couldn't take it any longer, and broke the kiss so he could start to move, keeping it slow and easy, but making sure he got Rodney's prostate every time.

And Rodney just…opened up for him, taking everything John gave and returning it to him ten-fold. He writhed and shuddered as pleasure rolled through his body, his climax just out of reach.

John didn't want him coming yet, so every time he thought Rodney was getting close, he changed his rhythm just enough to derail it.

It was only when Rodney started really clenching down on him, that John slowly began to lose control. He couldn't help it. His thrusts started getting a little harder, a little faster.

It wasn’t long after John was pounding into him that John felt Rodney clench down hard and then he was coming hard, spurting all over his stomach without a touch on his cock. John fucked him through his climax and managed only a few more thrusts before he finally let go, shooting deep inside Rodney.

When he couldn't take it any more, John pulled out carefully then collapsed next to Rodney on the bed. Rodney was panting quietly on the bed, his body twitching every now and then. He looked wrecked.

Mission accomplished. John was feeling rather smug and proud of himself, in addition to being thoroughly fucked out.

Rodney’s breathing evened out and he shifted, turning on his side to throw an arm over John’s waist and press his cum-covered body against John’s side.

John didn't even care about the mess. He was content with his world.

It took another ten minutes before Rodney moved again. “Broke me,” he whispered. “When can you do that again?”

Chuckling, John nuzzled into the side of Rodney's neck, inhaling his scent. "Give me maybe an hour to recover? Then round two."

Rodney hummed. "I might be ready by then but I'll probably need sustenance."

"There's sandwiches over on one of the dressers. I brought them up earlier."

"Sandwiches? Where?" he asked, but didn't even bother opening his eyes.

John managed to get an arm up, waving it in a general way. "Over there."

Rodney sighed and one of his eyes opened, following the general direction of John's hand. "That's…across the room."

"Yes." John snuggled in closer to Rodney, feeling boneless.

"I think you broke me."

"Good sex will do that."

Rodney snorted. "So this whole company thing. You're serious, aren't you?"

John nodded into Rodney's body. "I am. I think it would be the best structure for Atlantis moving forward, and will also make it a hell of a lot harder for my father or someone like him to steal it out from under us in a hostile takeover."

"I mean I know you've been planning this for weeks and it seems like you were actually serious about it, but it didn't really become real until you were on the phone with Elizabeth."

Sitting up on one elbow, John looked down at him. "You're still okay with all this though, right?"

Rodney shifted on the bed, blinking up at John. "I think so. I just don't want the whole thing with Genii Corp. to bite us in the ass later."

"I know. That's part of why I'm doing this, too. It's harder for someone like them to come in and wreak havoc with the kind of structure I'm trying to create."

"It's just a lot. I am a genius and I always expected to have my own lab and minions, but with the way things have been going even I had to lose hope of it ever happening."

"You deserve all of it," John declared.

Color flushed Rodney's cheeks. "Well, yes, but I still think you're biased."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Well, no, but…" Rodney shifted uncomfortably. "It's just…a new thing."

"Well, get used to it." John leaned in and kissed him softly. "Because I don't plan to change any time soon."

"Yes, well," Rodney huffed, letting his hand slide down John's side. "It certainly has its perks."

Humming, John arched into the caress a little. He had been told it made him look like a big cat, but he just didn't care, it felt good.

"And I'm going to take advantage of all the new benefits this job offers."

"Yeah? Good to hear, since they were custom made for you."

"They better have been. I’m not sharing."

John touched the side of Rodney's face gently. "Me neither. I don't want you to share them at all."

"Better not."

"I'm a one-man guy for you."

"You better be."

Chuckling, John leaned in and kissed him again.

Rodney didn't hold anything back as he moaned into the kiss. With the mild ocean breezes blowing through the open window. This man beneath him, and the start of what might be a perfect long-term company investment, John found himself content and looking forward to his life.

 

The End


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